St. Croix’s December Unemployment Rate Up Slightly to 5.2%

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Reggie Newson announced the preliminary December unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties on January 25th. St. Croix County’s rate was estimated at 5.2%, which is up from the November rate of 4.9%. St. Croix’s rate had been at 4.9% since October before December’s slight increase. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 6.3%.

Compared to a year ago, DWD said 68 of the state’s 72 counties had lower unemployment rates, two had no change and two had slight increases. Six of the 12 metropolitan areas across the state reported lower unemployment rates from November to December, while three had no change and three had minor increases. The nearby Eau Claire metro area had an increase from 5.8% to 6.0%. Of Wisconsin’s 31 municipalities with a population of least 25,000 residents, 25 had declining rates, and three reported no change.

Dane (4.4%), La Crosse (4.9%), Calumet (5.0%), Lafayette (5.0%), Grant (5.0%), and Ozaukee (5.2%) counties unemployment rates lower than St. Croix in December. Door County had the highest rate in December at 11.7%, followed by Bayfield (11.3%), Menominee (11.1%), Vilas (10.6%), and Iron (10.4%).

“St. Croix County’s slight uptick in unemployment followed the same trend as nine of the ten counties in west central and northwest Wisconsin,” said William Rubin, executive director of St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC). “Only Eau Claire County’s rate remained the same from November to December. Even the rate rose within the thirteen county metro area of the Twin Cities, which is widely viewed as an economic engine for the region.”

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk counties comprise Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley. Pierce County’s unemployment rate for December was 5.3% (up from November’s rate of 4.7%). Polk’s rate also increased from 7.4% to 7.8%. The 13-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area reported an unemployment rate of 5.5% in December compared to 5.2% in November. Both St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the federal definition of the 13-county Twin Cities metro area. One year ago, the unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 6.6%

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in December was estimated at 7.1%, which is down from November’s rate of 7.3% and October’s rate of 7.7%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 7.5%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota for December was estimated at 5.7% compared to the November rate 5.3%. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate was 6.8% one year ago.

The preliminary unemployment rate in the U.S. in December was estimated at 8.5%, compared to the November rate of 8.6% and October’s rate of 9.0%. One year ago the U.S. rate was estimated at 9.4%.

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