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On March 31st, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary February 2021 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 4.9%, which is higher than January’s final rate of 4.4% and the final rate of 4.3% for December. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 4.2%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from January to February increased in all 72 counties as well as in 70 counties year-over-year. The rates ranged from 3.5% in Dane to 9.4% in Menominee. 

Preliminary unemployment rates increased or stayed the same in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from January to February. Rates ranged from 3.3% in Madison to 7.7% in Racine.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in February include Dane (3.5%), Calumet (3.6%), Ozaukee (3.7%), Marathon (3.8%), and Sheboygan (also at 3.8%). Menominee County had the highest rate in February at 9.4%, followed by Iron (8.9%), Forest (also at 8.9%), Adams (also at 8.9%), and Bayfield (8.5%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 4.9%, February’s preliminary rate in Dunn is also at 4.9%, while Pierce is at 5.1% and Polk came in at 6.7%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The February 2021 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 4.4%, which is lower than January’s final rate of 4.8% and December’s final rate of 4.5%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.1% in February 2020.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in February was estimated at 3.8%, which is the same as January’s final rate and lower than lower than December’s final rate of 4.0%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in February was estimated at 4.3%, which is lower than January’s final rate of 4.5% and December’s final rate of 4.7%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for February was estimated at 6.2%, which is lower than January’s final rate of 6.3% and December’s final rate of  6.7%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.5%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for February was 65.6%, which is higher than January’s final rate of 65.0% and December’s final rate of 65.5%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 66.1%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in February was estimated at 61.4%, which is the same as January’s final rate but lower than the final rate of 61.5% for December. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.3%. 

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