August 2018 Unemployment at 2.9%
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St. Croix County’s August Unemployment Rate at 2.9%
On September 26th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary August 2018 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 2.9%. For comparison, St. Croix’s final rate for July was 3.0% and June’ final rate was 3.2%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 2.9%.
DWD said preliminary unemployment rates for August declined or stayed the same in 67 of the 72 counties when compared to August 2017. The rates ranged from 2.1% in Iowa County to 8.1% in Menominee.
The August 2018 preliminary unemployment rates decreased or stayed the same in 31 of Wisconsin’s 32 municipalities with population bases of least 25,000 residents when compared to August 2017. Fifteen of the 32 largest municipalities experienced their lowest July unemployment rate on record. Rates ranged from 2.2% in Fitchburg to 5.0% in Racine.
The five counties with the lowest unemployment rate in August include Iowa (2.1%), followed by Dane (2.3%), Sauk (also at 2.3%), Lafayette (2.4%), and Taylor (also at 2.4%). Menominee County had the highest rate in August at 8.1%, followed by Iron (5.4%), Forest (4.5%), Bayfield (4.4%), and Adams (4.3%).
St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix referenced above, August’s preliminary rate in Dunn and Pierce was estimated at 2.9%, followed by Polk at 3.0%. The current rates are the same or lower in all four counties compared to the rates for August 2017.
St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The August 2018 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 2.5%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 2.6% and June’s final rate of 2.8%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.4% in August 2017.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in August was estimated at 3.0%, which is higher than the final rate of 2.9% for both July and June. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.3%.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in August was estimated at 2.9%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 3.0% and June’s final rate of 3.1%. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate one year ago was 3.4%.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for August was estimated at 3.9%, which is the same as July’s final rate, but lower than June’s final rate of 4.0%. One year ago the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 4.4%.
Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for August 2018 was estimated at 68.8%, which is lower than the final rate of 68.9% for both July and June. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 68.8%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in August was estimated at 62.7%, which is lower than the final rate of 62.9% for both July and June. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.9%.
August’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.



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