Contact:
Bill Rubin/Jacki Bradham
St. Croix EDC
715-381-4383
County Follows Same Trend Across Region and State
On March 16th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) released the January unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties. St. Croix’s rate was estimated at 7.0% which is higher than the December and November rate of 6.1%. A year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 8.6%.
DWD said all 72 counties had higher unemployment rates from December to January, but all reported lower rates compared to January 2010.
Eight counties had unemployment rates lower than St. Croix in January. Dane County recorded the lowest rate at 5.3%, followed by La Crosse at 6.2%, Ozaukee at 6.4%, and Eau Claire at 6.5%. Door County had the highest rate in January at 13.3%, followed by Bayfield County at 12.9% and Vilas at 12.7%.
An estimated 10,100 private sector jobs were added across the state in January, according to DWD’s Secretary, Manny Perez. He also cited 26,500 openings listed on Wisconsin’s Job Center web site: http://JobCenterofWisconsin.com.
“The unemployment rates for St. Croix and the surrounding region remains high,” said William Rubin, executive director of St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC). “Rates tend to rise from December through February, so we’re anxious for sustained improvement. Last October, St. Croix’s rate was reported at 5.7%, and historically, even that rate is high for the county.”
The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in January was estimated at 7.4%, which is lower than the December rate of 7.5%. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 10.0% one year ago.
The preliminary unemployment rate in the U.S. in December was estimated at 9.0%, which is lower than the December rate of 9.4%. One year ago the U.S. rate was estimated at 9.7%.
