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On April 25th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary March 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 3.3%. For comparison, St. Croix’s final rate for February was 3.7% and January’s final rate was 3.3%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.7%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates for March declined in all 72 counties when compared to March 2017. Sixty-three (63) of the 72 counties tied or reached their lowest March unemployment rates on current record. The rates ranged from 2.2% in Dane County to 6.8% in Iron.

The March 2018 preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 32 municipalities with population bases of least 25,000 residents when compared to March 2017. Twenty-one (21) of the 32 largest municipalities reached their lowest March unemployment rates on current record. Rates ranged from 2.0% in Fitchburg to 4.6% in Racine.

Dane County had the lowest rate in March at 2.2% followed by Ozaukee (2.4%), Sheboygan (also at 2.4%), Washington (2.6%), and Waukesha (also at 2.6%). Iron County had the highest rate in March at 6.8%, followed by Bayfield (6.5%), Adams (5.6%), Burnett (also at 5.6%), and Sawyer (5.5%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix referenced above, March’s preliminary rate in Dunn was estimated at 3.5% followed by Pierce at 3.6% and 4.7% in Polk. The current rates in all four counties are lower than the rates for March 2017.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The March 2018 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 3.3%, which is lower than the final rates of 3.4% for both February and January. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.8% in March 2017.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in March was estimated at 2.9%, which is the same as February’s final rate but lower than January’s final rate of 3.2%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in March 2018 was estimated at 3.2%, which is the same as February’s final rate but lower than January’s final rate of 3.3%. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate one year ago was 3.6%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for March was estimated at 4.1%, which is the same as the final rates for both February and January. One year ago the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 4.5%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for March 2018 was estimated at 68.6% which is the same as the final rate for February and higher than the final rate of 68.5% for January. 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 March was estimated at 62.9% which is lower than February’s final rate of 63.0% but higher than January’s final rate of 62.7%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.0%.

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