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On April 1st, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary February 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s February rate was estimated at 4.8%, which is the same as January’s final rate and higher than December’s final rate was 3.6%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 4.4%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from January to February decreased or stayed the same in 55 of the 72 counties. The rates ranged from 2.5% in Dane to 8.2% in Burnett.

Preliminary unemployment rates decreased in 32 of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from January to February. Rates ranged from 2.3% in Madison to 6.2% in Racine.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in February include Dane (2.5%), Ozaukee (2.9%), La Crosse (3.2%), Sheboygan (also at 3.2%), and Waukesha (also at 3.2%). Burnett County had the highest rate in February at 8.2%, followed by Bayfield (8.0%), Adams (7.8%), Crawford (7.4%), and Sawyer (7.3%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 4.8%, February’s preliminary rate in Dunn was 4.7%, while Pierce was at 5.0%, and Polk at 6.8%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The February 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 3.1%, which is the same as the final rate for January, but higher than the final rate of 3.0% in December. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.4% in February 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in February was estimated at 3.5%, which is the same as January’s final rate, but higher than December’s final rate of 3.3%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in January was estimated at 3.1%, which is lower than January’s final rate of 3.2% and December’s final rate of 3.3%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for February was estimated at 3.5%, which is lower than January’s final rate of 3.6% and the same as December’s final rate. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.8%

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for February was estimated at 66.9%, which is the same as January’s final rate but lower than December’s final rate of 67.0%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 67.2%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in February was estimated at 63.4%, which is the same as January’s final rate and higher than December’s final rate of 63.2%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.1%.

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