December 2017 Unemployment Rate
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St. Croix County’s December Unemployment Rate at 2.7%
On January 24th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary December 2017 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 32 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s rate was estimated at 2.7%. For comparison, St. Croix’s final rate for both November and October was 2.5%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.7%.
DWD said preliminary unemployment rates for December decreased in all 72 counties when compared to December 2016. Forty-eight (48) of the 72 counties tied or reached their lowest December unemployment rates on current record. Seven (7) counties reached record lows for any month on current record. December’s rates ranged from 1.9% in Dane and Lafayette counties to 5.6% in Iron.
The December 2017 preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 32 municipalities with population bases of least 25,000 residents when compared to December 2016. Eighteen (18) of the 32 largest municipalities reached or tied their lowest December unemployment rates on current record and 15 reached record lows for any month on current record. December’s rates ranged from 1.8% in Fitchburg and Madison to 3.8% in Racine.
Dane and Lafayette counties had the lowest rate in December at 1.9% followed by Green (2.1%), Ozaukee (also at 2.1%), and Calumet (2.2%). Iron County had the highest rate in December at 5.6%, followed by Bayfield (5.2 %), Adams (5.1%), Forest (4.6%), and Florence (also at 4.6%).
St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix referenced above, December’s preliminary rate in both Dunn and Pierce was estimated at 2.7% followed by 3.6% in Polk. The current rates in all four counties are lower than the rates for December 2016.
St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The December 2017 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 2.9%, which is higher than the final rate of 2.4% for both November and October. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.6% in December 2016.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in December was estimated at 3.0%, which is lower than November’s final rate of 3.2% and October’s final rate of 3.4%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 4.1%.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in December 2017 was estimated at 3.1%, which is lower than November’s final rate of 3.2% and October’s final rate of 3.4%. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate one year ago was 4.0%.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for December was estimated at 4.1%, which is the same as the final rates for November and October. One year ago the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 4.7%.
Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for December 2017 was estimated at 68.9%, which is the same as the final rate for November but higher than October’s final rate of 68.8%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 68.4%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in December was estimated at 62.7%, which is the same as the final rates for November and October. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.7%.
December’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.



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