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On December 28th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary November 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 2.6%. For comparison, St. Croix’s final rate for October was 2.4% and September’s final rate was 2.9 %. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 2.7%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates for November declined or remained the same in 62 of the 72 counties when compared to November 2017, with seven (7) counties setting or tying all-time low unemployment rates for any month on record. Thirty-eight (38) counties tied or achieved their lowest November rate on record. The rates ranged from 1.9% in Lafayette County to 4.8% in Iron.

The November 2018 preliminary unemployment rates declined or stayed the same in 27 of Wisconsin’s 32 largest municipalities when compared to November 2017. Four cities either tied or achieved their lowest unemployment rate for any month in November. Rates ranged from 1.9% in Fitchburg to 4.8% in Beloit.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rate in November include Lafayette (1.9%), Dane (2.0%), Green (2.1%), Iowa (also at 2.1%), Richland (also at 2.1%). Iron County had the highest rate in November at 4.8%, followed by Bayfield (4.7%), Menominee (4.2%), Forest (4.1%), and Adams (also at 4.1%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix referenced above, November’s preliminary rate in Dunn was estimated at 2.5%, followed by Pierce at 2.8% and Polk at 3.0%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The November 2018 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 2.0% which is lower than October’s final rate of 2.1% and September’s final rate of 2.2%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 2.4% in November 2017.

For the tenth consecutive month, the preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin was at or below 3.0%. For November, the rate was estimated at 3.0%, which is the same as the final rate for October and September. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in November was estimated at 2.8%, which is the same as the final rate October and September. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.3%.
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for November was estimated at 3.7%, which is the same as the final rate for October and September. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 4.1%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for November was estimated at 68.2 percent, which is lower than October’s final rate 2018 of 68.4% and September’s final rate of 68.6%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 68.9%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in November was estimated at 62.9% which is the same as October’s final rate but higher than September’s final rate of 62.7%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.7%.

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