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On January 25th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary December 2022 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 35 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s December rate was estimated at 2.7%, which is higher than the final rate of 2.6% for both November and October. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 2.2%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from November to December declined or stayed the same in 42 of the 72 counties. Rates declined or stayed the same in 31 of the 72 counties year-over-year. The current rates range from 1.6% in Dane to 6.0% in Iron.

Preliminary unemployment rates from November to December decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 35 largest cities. Year-over-year, the rates declined or stayed the same in 22 cities. Rates ranged from 1.7% in Sun Prairie to 3.2% in Milwaukee.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in December include Dane (1.6%), Calumet (1.7%), Fond du Lac (1.8%), Green (also at 1.8%), and Ozaukee (also at 1.8%). Iron had the highest rate in December at 6.0%, followed by Adams (5.0%), Forest (4.8%), Burnett (4.7%), and Bayfield (also at 4.7%).

St. Croix, Pierce, and Polk counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 2.7%, December’s preliminary rate in Pierce was 2.9% and Polk’s rate was 4.0%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The December 2022 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 2.6%, which is higher than November’s final rate of 1.9% and October’s final rate of 1.7%. The unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was 2.4% in December 2021.

Nearby Washington County in Minnesota reported a preliminary rate of 2.3% for December, while Dakota County, MN reported a rate of 2.5% and Chisago County MN had a rate of 3.8%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in December was estimated at 3.2%, which is lower than the final rate of 3.3% for both November and October. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.1%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota for December was estimated at 2.5%, which is higher than November’s final rate of 2.3% and October’s final rate of 2.1%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.0%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for December was estimated at 3.5%, which is the lower than November’s final rate of 3.6% and October’s final rate of 3.7%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.9%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for December was estimated at 64.7%, which is lower than November’s final rate of 64.9% and October’s final rate of 65.3%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 66.4%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in December was estimated at 62.3%, which is higher than the final rate of 62.2% for both November and October. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 61.9%.

December’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.