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On August 23rd, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary July 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 2.8%. For comparison, St. Croix’s final rate in June was 3.0% and the final rate for May was 2.5%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.6%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates for July decreased or remained the same in all 72 counties when compared to July 2016. The current rates ranged from 2.5% in Dane and Iowa counties to 7.4% in Menominee.

The July 2017 preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 32 municipalities with population bases of least 25,000 residents when compared to July 2016. The July rates ranged from 2.4% in Fitchburg to 5.4% in Beloit.

Dane and Iowa counties had the lowest rate in July at 2.5%, followed by Lafayette (2.6%), Sauk (also at 2.6%), and Calumet (2.7%). Menominee County had the highest rate in July at 7.4%, followed by Iron (5.5%), Forest (5.1%), Adams (4.6%), and Marinette (4.5%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix referenced above, the preliminary rate for July 2017 in Polk was estimated at 2.9%. Pierce’s rate in July was estimated at 3.1% and Dunn’s rate was 3.3%. The current rates in all four counties are lower compared to July 2016.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The July 2017 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 3.3%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 3.5%, but higher than May’s final rate of 3.2%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.6% in July 2016.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in July was estimated at 3.2%, which is higher than the final rates of 3.1% in June and May. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 4.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in July 2017 was estimated at 3.7%, which is the same as the final rates for June and May. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate one year ago was 3.9%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for July was estimated at 4.3%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 4.4% and the same as May’s final rate. One year ago the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 4.9%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for July 2017 was estimated at 68.8%, which is lower than the final rate of 68.9% in June and the same as May’s final rate. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 68.3%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in July was estimated at 62.9%, which is higher than the final rate of 62.8% in June and May’s final rate of 62.7%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.8%.

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