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Home > News Releases > March Local Employment Data Released
  
  We've got NEWS
Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Governor
Scott McCallum

Secretary
Jennifer Reinert

News Media Contact
Christopher Marschman
608/261-6705
e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784
  
Contact: Terry Ludeman, 608/267-3262
Chris Marschman, 608/261-6705

MARCH LOCAL EMPLOYMENT FIGURES RELEASED

MADISON - Fifty-two of Wisconsin's seventy-two counties saw some improvement in their March unemployment rates in figures released by the Department of Workforce Development. Six counties saw no change from their February rates, and fourteen had higher rates in March than they had in February. The state's unadjusted rate dropped from 6.7 percent in February to 6.5 percent in March, while the seasonally-adjusted rate dropped from 5.8 to 5.7 percent.

"Even as many economic signals begin to look more positive, Wisconsin's job market is yet to show the kind of positive movement evident in other economic indicators," DWD Secretary Reinert said. "Though it is normal for job markets to respond slowly to economic recovery, it is a necessary component to sustained economic growth," she said.

Ten of the State's eleven Metropolitan Statistical Areas saw slight improvement in their rates while one, Dane County, remained unchanged from its February rate of 3.1 percent.

The northern counties, particularly those north of a line between Green Bay and Minnesota's Twin Cities, had generally the highest rates in the state as would be expected this time of the year. Nine counties in the northern tier of the state had rates above 10.0 percent in March.

The highest unemployment rate in the state was once again Juneau County, at 13.4 percent, followed closely by Ashland and Menominee at 12.3 percent and Rusk County at 12.1 percent. Dane County had the state's lowest rate at 3.1 percent, unchanged from the February rate. Ozaukee County at 4.2 percent and Waukesha at 4.9 percent were next in line.

The greatest improvement in the state was registered in Pepin County, where the rate was 11.2 percent in February and 9.5 percent in March. Adams County, where the rate dropped from 8.0 percent to 7.1 percent, saw the second greatest improvement. Menominee County, where the unemployment rate rose from 11.7 percent to 12.3 percent, had the state's largest increase.

"Manufacturing continues to be the hardest hit industrial sector in the state, and areas with a particularly strong manufacturing presence saw less improvement in unemployment rates," said DWD Economist Terry Ludeman. "In general, labor markets throughout the state appear to be recovering very slowly from a very difficult year the state has experienced," he said.

(end)


 Employment and Labor Force
Household Survey

Unadjusted estimates

Mar. 2002

Feb. 2002

Mar. 2001

Total labor force

3,049,800

3,051,500

2,960,800

Employed

2,851,100

2,846,800

2,805,200

Unemployed

198,700

204,600

155,600

Wis. Unemployment Rate

6.5%

6.7%

5.3%

U.S. Unemployment Rate

6.1%

6.1%

4.6%

 

Seasonably adjusted

Mar. 2002

Feb. 2002

Mar. 2001

Total labor force

3,075,700

3,080,400

2,986,600

Employed

2,900,400

2,902,000

2,854,200

Unemployed

175,200

178,400

132,500

Wis. Unemployment

5.7%

5.8%

4.4%

U.S. Unemployment

5.7%

5.5%

4.3%

 


 

March
State Rank

*February
Area Rank


Unemployment
% seasonally adjusted

Mar.
2002

Feb.
2002

Mar.
2001

32nd

Wisconsin

5.7

5.8

4.4

214th

Appleton-Oshkosh

5.0

5.0

3.4

268th

Eau Claire

5.4

5.8

4.3

196th

Green Bay

4.8

4.9

3.5

285th

Janesville-Beloit

7.4

7.1

6.4

220th

Kenosha

5.8

5.7

4.9

149th

La Crosse

4.2

4.0

3.9

17th

Madison

2.6

2.5

2.0

233rd

Milwaukee-Waukesha

6.0

6.1

4.4

297th

Racine

7.5

7.6

6.3

226th

Sheboygan

5.3

5.4

3.4

245th

Wausau

4.9

4.8

4.3

  • This is the latest available data for the U.S.'s 331 largest metro areas. Urban rankings are NOT seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. Ties are shown only if existing with other Wisconsin urban areas; ties with urban areas in other states are not shown, but are available upon request. Rankings are by the U.S. Labor Department and are based on unadjusted data for the previous month, while the rates shown above for Wisconsin metropolitan areas are seasonally-adjusted and for the current month.
  • **State ranking is seasonally adjusted
  • *Metropolitan ranking is not seasonally adjusted and is for the prior month

Source *Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development


Maps of March 2002 Unemployment Rates by County

WISCONSIN COUNTIES
Unemployment Rates
March 2002
Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   

RANK

COUNTY

RATE LAST
RATE
LAST
RANK
YR  
 AGO 
RATE
RANK

COUNTY

RATE LAST
RATE
LAST
RANK
YR  
 AGO 
RATE
  

45

ADAMS

7.1%

8.0%

39

6.6%

51

MARATHON

6.6%

6.7%

55

5.8%

2

ASHLAND

12.3%

12.7%

2

9.9%

17

MARINETTE

9.5%

9.5%

19

8.3%

33

BARRON

8.0%

8.5%

31

8.6%

6

MARQUETTE

10.8%

11.5%

5

10.8%

11

BAYFIELD

10.0%

10.5%

12

9.6%

3

MENOMINEE

12.3%

11.7%

4

9.9%

67

BROWN

5.5%

5.8%

66

4.0%

46

MILWAUKEE

7.0%

7.1%

51

5.4%

50

BUFFALO

6.6%

7.0%

52

5.4%

49

MONROE

6.7%

7.3%

46

6.7%

20

BURNETT

9.3%

9.6%

17

7.5%

8

OCONTO

10.2%

11.0%

8

7.8%

56

CALUMET

6.3%

6.8%

54

4.1%

25

ONEIDA

9.0%

8.8%

27

7.9%

18

CHIPPEWA

9.4%

9.9%

14

7.4%

59

OUTAGAMIE

6.2%

6.2%

61

4.3%

5

CLARK

11.4%

11.1%

7

11.8%

71

OZAUKEE

4.2%

4.5%

71

2.9%

40

COLUMBIA

7.6%

8.1%

38

6.6%

15

PEPIN

9.5%

11.2%

6

9.0%

39

CRAWFORD

7.7%

8.0%

41

7.4%

58

PIERCE

6.2%

6.4%

57

4.8%

72

DANE

3.1%

3.1%

72

2.4%

14

POLK

9.6%

9.9%

15

8.9%

47

DODGE

6.8%

7.1%

50

5.5%

55

PORTAGE

6.3%

6.9%

53

5.7%

24

DOOR

9.2%

9.3%

23

8.4%

29

PRICE

8.6%

8.5%

33

9.9%

32

DOUGLAS

8.1%

8.3%

36

6.4%

31

RACINE

8.3%

8.5%

32

7.0%

52

DUNN

6.5%

7.3%

45

5.5%

48

RICHLAND

6.7%

7.6%

44

7.3%

66

EAU CLAIRE

5.6%

5.8%

67

4.6%

41

ROCK

7.6%

7.9%

42

6.6%

7

FLORENCE

10.8%

10.6%

11

9.2%

4

RUSK

12.1%

12.0%

3

10.1%

53

FOND DU LAC

6.5%

6.6%

56

5.1%

62

SAUK

6.0%

5.9%

65

5.0%

12

FOREST

9.8%

9.5%

20

9.2%

27

SAWYER

8.8%

8.7%

30

9.0%

43

GRANT

7.3%

7.2%

48

8.4%

38

SHAWANO

7.7%

8.3%

34

6.7%

37

GREEN

7.8%

7.7%

43

6.6%

63

SHEBOYGAN

5.8%

6.2%

58

3.7%

16

GREEN LAKE

9.5%

9.8%

16

7.1%

26

ST. CROIX

8.9%

8.9%

26

6.3%

57

IOWA

6.3%

6.2%

62

5.9%

22

TAYLOR

9.2%

10.1%

13

10.5%

13

IRON

9.7%

9.6%

18

9.2%

30

TREMPEALEAU

8.5%

8.7%

28

8.3%

42

JACKSON

7.5%

8.0%

40

8.1%

36

VERNON

7.8%

8.2%

37

7.5%

65

JEFFERSON

5.6%

5.9%

63

4.5%

21

VILAS

9.3%

9.2%

24

9.3%

1

JUNEAU

13.4%

13.7%

1

11.1%

61

WALWORTH

6.0%

6.2%

59

4.2%

60

KENOSHA

6.1%

6.2%

60

5.2%

9

WASHBURN

10.2%

10.8%

9

9.3%

54

KEWAUNEE

6.4%

7.1%

49

5.1%

64

WASHINGTON

5.7%

5.9%

64

4.3%

69

LA CROSSE

5.1%

5.1%

69

4.7%

70

WAUKESHA

4.9%

5.0%

70

3.4%

23

LAFAYETTE

9.2%

9.4%

21

7.7%

44

WAUPACA

7.2%

7.3%

47

5.9%

10

LANGLADE

10.2%

10.6%

10

9.3%

34

WAUSHARA

8.0%

8.3%

35

7.2%

19

LINCOLN

9.4%

9.4%

22

7.8%

68

WINNEBAGO

5.4%

5.6%

68

3.6%

35

MANITOWOC

7.9%

9.0%

25

6.2%

28

WOOD

8.7%

8.7%

29

7.6%

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service


 

WISCONSIN CITIES
Unemployment Rates
March 2002
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)

RANK

CITY

RATE LAST
RATE

LAST
RANK

YR  AGO
RATE
           

11

APPLETON CITY

7.5%

7.5%

14

4.8%

2

BELOIT CITY

10.9%

10.9%

3

9.9%

27

BROOKFIELD CITY

3.6%

3.7%

27

2.5%

17

EAU CLAIRE CITY

6.3%

6.6%

17

5.2%

7

FOND DU LAC CITY

8.3%

8.4%

8

6.3%

22

FRANKLIN CITY

5.2%

5.4%

22

3.5%

5

GREEN BAY CITY

8.6%

9.0%

5

6.2%

26

GREENFIELD CITY

4.0%

4.2%

26

3.0%

15

JANESVILLE CITY

7.0%

7.6%

13

6.1%

13

KENOSHA CITY

7.3%

7.4%

15

6.4%

19

LA CROSSE CITY

6.1%

6.0%

20

5.7%

28

MADISON CITY

3.1%

3.1%

28

2.4%

4

MANITOWOC CITY

9.5%

10.9%

2

7.5%

25

MENOMONEE FALLS CITY

4.3%

4.6%

24

2.7%

3

MILWAUKEE CITY

9.6%

9.6%

4

7.5%

9

NEENAH CITY

8.0%

8.1%

9

4.6%

24

NEW BERLIN CITY

4.4%

4.5%

25

2.7%

21

OAK CREEK CITY

5.7%

5.9%

21

4.0%

20

OSHKOSH CITY

6.0%

6.4%

19

4.1%

1

RACINE CITY

11.7%

12.2%

1

10.9%

10

SHEBOYGAN CITY

7.5%

7.9%

11

4.6%

8

STEVENS POINT CITY

8.1%

8.8%

6

7.1%

12

SUPERIOR CITY

7.4%

7.9%

10

5.9%

16

WAUKESHA CITY

6.7%

6.7%

16

4.9%

14

WAUSAU CITY

7.2%

7.7%

12

5.9%

23

WAUWATOSA CITY

4.8%

4.7%

23

3.3%

18

WEST ALLIS CITY

6.2%

6.5%

18

4.3%

6

WEST BEND CITY

8.5%

8.8%

7

6.2%

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service


WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY
IN THOUSANDS

        Net Change From
ITEM Prelim.
Mar.
2002
Final 
Feb.
  2002
Year Ago
Mar.
2001
Month
Ago 
Year
Ago 
           
PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA          
 
  CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

3049.8

3051.5

2960.8

-1.7

89.0

  UNEMPLOYMENT

198.7

204.6

155.6

-5.9

43.1

  UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

6.5

6.7

5.3

-0.2

1.2

  EMPLOYMENT (1)

2851.1

2846.8

2805.2

4.3

45.9

           
PLACE OF WORK DATA          
NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2774.4

2759.8

2790.9

14.6

-16.5

  MANUFACTURING

563.2

564.7

594

-1.5

-30.8

  DURABLE GOODS

336.6

337.5

361

-0.9

-24.4

     Lumber and Wood Products

31.5

31.3

31.3

0.2

0.2

     Furniture and Fixtures

19.3

19.1

18.6

0.2

0.7

     Stone, Clay & Glass Products

10.8

10.6

10.6

0.2

0.2

     Primary Metal Industries

22.4

22.5

24.3

-0.1

-1.9

     Fabricated Metal Products

61.7

61.6

64.7

0.1

-3.0

     Nonelectrical Machinery

95.6

96.4

105.4

-0.8

-9.8

     Electrical Machinery

38.3

38.5

45.2

-0.2

-6.9

     Transportation Equipment

29.2

29.3

32.6

-0.1

-3.4

     Prof., Scient. & Control
     Instruments

17.3

17.4

17.6

-0.1

-0.3

     Miscellaneous Manufacturing

10.6

10.7

10.7

-0.1

-0.1

           
  NONDURABLE GOODS

226.6

227.2

233

-0.6

-6.4

     Food and Kindred Products

65.3

65

64.7

0.3

0.6

     Textile Mill Products

2.3

2.2

2.2

0.1

0.1

     Apparel & Other Finished
     Products

5.5

5.5

5.7

0.0

-0.2

     Paper and Allied Products

49.9

49.9

51.1

0.0

-1.2

     Printing, Publishing & Allied

50.6

51

53.9

-0.4

-3.3

     Chemicals and Allied Products

15.3

15.3

14.8

0.0

0.5

     Rubber & Misc. Plastic
     Products

34.8

35.3

37.1

-0.5

-2.3

     Leather & Leather Products

2.5

2.6

3.1

-0.1

-0.6

     All Other Nondurable Goods

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.0

0.0

           
  MINING

2.2

2.1

2.2

0.1

0.0

  CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

106.7

102.6

109.1

4.1

-2.4

  TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS &
  SAN. SERV.

130

129.4

132.5

0.6

-2.5

  TRADE

625.8

621.4

623.3

4.4

2.5

     WHOLESALE TRADE

135.7

135.3

136

0.4

-0.3

     RETAIL TRADE

490.1

486

487.4

4.1

2.7

  FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL
  ESTATE

151.3

150.8

148.8

0.5

2.5

  SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS

770.3

766.8

759.9

3.5

10.4

  GOVERNMENT

424.8

422.1

421

2.7

3.8

     FEDERAL

29.5

29.7

29.8

-0.2

-0.3

     STATE

101.4

100.5

103.4

0.9

-2.0

     LOCAL

293.9

291.9

287.8

2.0

6.1

           
  PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M
  DISPUTES

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

     (1) Includes L-M Disputes
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED LABOR FORCE ESTIMATES
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

3075.7

3080.4

2986.6

-4.7

89.1

  UNEMPLOYMENT

175.2

178.4

132.5

-3.2

42.7

      UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

5.7

5.8

4.4

-0.1

1.3

  EMPLOYMENT

2900.4

2902.0

2854.2

-1.6

46.2

  NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2774.4

2759.8

2790.9

14.6

-16.5

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Division of Administrative Services
Content Contact: Terry Ludeman