According to preliminary employment data, unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) declined in all of Wisconsin’s 12 metro areas year over year. However, the preliminary data also shows that most unemployment rates increased from April to May, where the rates ranged from 4.9% in metro Madison to 8.4% in metro Janesville.
The largest one-month increases were seen in Beloit, Neenah and Superior, as each community saw its unemployment rate rise by 0.6%.
Among the state’s three largest cities, Milwaukee’s rate was unchanged at 10.2%, Madison’s rose from 4.4 to 4.8%, and Green Bay’s remained at 8.9%.
The Department of Workforce Development released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary estimates of unemployment and employment statistics in May for Wisconsin metro areas, major cities and counties in the state of Wisconsin. The estimates also showed:
• Of 32 municipalities with at least 25,000 residents, 30 had either declines or no change in unemployment rates year over year. From April to May, 11 had either declines or no change in rates, while 21 experienced an uptick in rates, no more than 0.6 of a percentage point (Beloit, Neenah and Superior). Rates ranged from 3.8% in Caledonia to 11.6% in Beloit.
• Of 72 counties, 69 had rate declines or no change year over year. Between April and May, 36 had rate declines by as much as 2.2% in Vilas and 2.0% in Bayfield. Six had no change. For 30, rates edged upward, less than half of a percentage point for all but Douglas, which had an increase of 0.6 of a percentage point. Rates ranged from 4.7% in Dane to 15.1% in Menominee.
The BLS preliminary unemployment estimates for cities, counties and metro areas are based on Unemployment Insurance claims and a monthly survey of 1,450 Wisconsin households (0.06%), called the Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
Additional place of work data, available at the state metro levels only, is based on a monthly survey of approximately 5,500 Wisconsin employers (3.5%), called the Current Employment Statistics (CES).
