Contact:
Rose Lynch, (608) 266-6753
METRO AREAS
Madison – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today announced that eleven of the State’s twelve metropolitan statistical areas had lower unemployment rates for June 2005 than they had in June 2004, and the twelfth metro area was unchanged. The Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the State’s lowest MSA unemployment rate in July at 3.5 percent. Other metro areas in the state with noteworthy low rates were La Crosse, Sheboygan, and Wausau at 4.1 percent, 4.2 percent, and 4.3 percent. Only three Wisconsin metro areas had unemployment rates above 5.0 percent, the Janesville/Beloit MSA at 5.2 percent, the Milwaukee/Waukesha MSA at 5.3 percent, and the Racine MSA at 6.2 percent.
The June nonfarm wage and salary jobs were up in ten of the twelve metro areas from May figures, with only the Eau Claire and La Crosse MSAs down. Ten of the State’s twelve MSAs were also up from last year’s June job count, with only Eau Claire and Racine down from a year ago. The state’s two largest MSAs, Madison and Milwaukee/Waukesha, both saw substantial increases in jobs over the month and over the prior year. Milwaukee/Waukesha was up 7,000 jobs from May and 9,300 jobs from June 2004, while Madison was up 2,800 from May and 4,900 from June 2004.
COUNTY RATES
Unemployment rates throughout much of the state are lower than they were last year in June figures. Sixty of the seventy-two counties in the state saw lower unemployment rates in June 2005 than June 2004. Nine counties had higher unemployment rates in June 2005 than June 2004, and two were unchanged.
Five counties in the state had unemployment rates lower than 4.0, while eight had rates of 6.0 percent or higher. Pierce County had the lowest rate in the state, at 3.2 percent, with Dane and St. Croix close behind at 3.5 percent and 3.6 percent. The highest rates were reported in Menominee, Iron and Forest counties at 12.6 percent, 6.8 percent, and 6.6 percent, respectively.
“The 4.8 percent statewide unemployment rate in June was the lowest June unemployment rate Wisconsin has experienced since June 2001, prior to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. For the state year-to-date, the unemployment rate has averaged 5.1 percent, which is down from a comparable figure of 5.6 percent in 2004,” Secretary Gassman said. “The good news is that out of the 60,451 additional job seekers statewide in June over May, 50,777 found work by the third week in June.”
Seventeen of the State’s seventy-two counties had lower rates in June than they had reported in May, while 46 saw higher rates and nine were unchanged. This is the norm for Wisconsin. June normally has one of the highest unemployment rates of the year, nearly as high as January, and somewhat lower than February and March. June marks the beginning of job searches for many of the State’s young people as they transition from student to job seeker. For some it’s a temporary transition, as they are returning to their primary occupation of student in the fall. For others, it is more permanent transition to job seeker, job holder.
