Wisconsin sees unemployment rate drop across cities, counties

(The Center Square) – All 12 Wisconsin metropolitan areas and the state’s 35 largest cities all saw unemployment rate drops in August and all but one of those areas saw the rates drop year over year.

The unemployment rates dropped in all 72 counties both for the month and year over year with Janesville (2.5%) and Bayfield (2.8%), Door (1.9%) and Pepin (2.0%) counties having all-time low rates.

The rates come as Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 2.9% in August while the labor force participation rate was 65.5% compared to national averages of 4.2% and a 62.7%.

The county and city unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted like the statewide data.

Fond du Lac saw its metropolitan area unemployment rates drop more than a percentage point (1.8) and its city rate drop from 6.9% in July to 3.8% in August.

The lowest rates in the state were in Fitchburg, Madison and Sun Prairie (2.1%) followed by Wausau and Wauwatosa (2.3%) and Sheboygan, New Berlin, Neenah, Muskego and Menomonee Falls (2.4%).