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On December 23rd, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary November 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s November rate was estimated at 4.3%, which is lower than the final rate of 4.7% for both October and September. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.0%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from October to November declined or stayed the same in 65 of the 72 counties. The rates ranged from 2.9% in Lafayette to 10.3% in Menominee. 

Preliminary unemployment rates declined in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from October to November. Rates ranged from 3.2% in Fitchburg to 7.3% in Milwaukee.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in November include Lafayette (2.9%), Kewaunee (3.1%), Calumet (3.2%), Clark (also at 3.2%), and Green (3.3%). Menominee County had the highest rate in November at 10.3%, followed by Forest (8.4%), Iron (8.3%), Bayfield (7.3%), and Adams (also at 7.3%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 4.3%, November’s preliminary rate in Dunn is 3.9%, while Pierce reported 4.0% and Polk came in at 5.0%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The November 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 3.9%, which is lower than October’s final rate of 4.2 % and September’s final rate of 5.9%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 2.7% in November 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in November was estimated at 5.0%, which is lower than October’s final rate of 6.0% and September’s final rate of 5.4%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.5%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in November was estimated at 4.4%,  which is lower than October’s final rate 4.6% and September’s final rate of 5.9%. 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 6.7%, which is lower than October’s final rate of 6.9% and September’s final rate of 7.9%. The November rate represents the seventh straight month the U.S. rate has declined. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.5%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for November was 66.9%, which is lower than October’s final rate of 67.4% and September’s final rate of 67.4%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was also 66.9%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in November was estimated at 61.5% which is lower than October’s final rate of 61.7% but higher than September’s final rate of 61.4%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.2%. 

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