MONROE — For nearly two years, Lafayette County has sat among the best in Wisconsin with a state-low unemployment, and in August 2024, the southwestern Wisconsin block fell to second after the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Door County (1.9%) barely edged out Lafayette (2.0%) and Pepin (2.0) counties for the state’s top spot, with Green, Dane, Iowa, Sauk and Kewaunee tied at 2.1%.
Despite losing the top spot in the jobs report, Lafayette County was still down an entire half-percent from the same time in 2023, and down 0.4% from just a month ago.
Green also dropped 0.4% from July 2024 to August 2024, and is down 0.7% over the past year.
Overall,Wisconsin’s seasonably adjusted unemployment rate was 2.9%, which is 1.3 percentage points below the national rate of 4.2%. The state’s labor force participation rate held steady at 65.5% in August while the national rate stayed at 62.7%.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) recently announced new record highs for jobs and employment during August 2024, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the fourth consecutive monthly record for state employment, highlighting the unprecedented number of workers participating in Wisconsin’s economy. During the same time, the number of nonfarm jobs reached a new all-time high.
Wisconsin’s labor force decreased by 100 over the month and decreased 2,100 over the year. The number of people employed increased 2,100 over the month to a record-high 3,051,900 employed.
Preliminary August 2024 unemployment rates decreased in all 12 metropolitan areas over the month; rates also decreased in all 12 areas over the year.
Preliminary August 2024 unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 35 largest cities over the month; rates decreased in 34 cities over the year. The city of Janesville also achieved all-time low unemployment at 2.5%.
Preliminary August 2024 unemployment rates decreased in all 72 counties over the month; rates also decreased in all 72 counties over the year. In addition, three counties, Bayfield (2.8%), Door (1.9%), and Pepin (2.0%), achieved all-time low unemployment rates.
Additional information about the data included in the release is available at Wisconomy.com.