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Jobless rate jumps
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MONROE - Unemployment rates in Green County and Lafayette County jumped more than the state average in January, compared to December, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Workforce Development.

Green County saw 8.3 percent unemployment, up almost 2 percentage points, from 6.4 percent in December.

Lafayette County faired only slightly better, with an unemployment rate reaching 7.2 percent, up 1.5 percentage points from 5.7 percent in December.

The state average rate also climbed 1.1 percentage points, from 7.1 in December to 8.2 percent in January.

Neither county has seen its unemployment rate this high since April, 2010. Unemployment a year ago was 8.2 percent in Lafayette County, and 9.8 percent in Green County.

Influencing the January rise in rates in both counties was an overall decrease in the labor forces, along with a jump in the number of unemployed. Lafayette lost more than 4 percent of its work force during January, and Green County lost about 7 percent.

All numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

The seasonally adjusted state unemployment rate announced last week nudged down slightly in January to 7.4 percent, from 7.5 percent in December.

That is still lower than the national unemployment rate, which was 9 percent in January.

The unemployment rate in nearly all of Wisconsin's major cities increased in January.

All but one of Wisconsin's largest cities saw a rise in unemployment compared with December, data showed. Mount Pleasant's unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent in January from 9.3 percent in December.

Racine had the highest unemployment rate in the state in January at 14 percent, up from 12.8 percent in December. Caledonia had the lowest rate at 3.8 percent.

All of the state's 72 counties saw unemployment rates rise in January. Door County had the highest unemployment rate for January with 13.3 percent. Dane County had the lowest rate with 5.3 percent. The rates are not seasonally adjusted.

All those figures are still lower than unemployment rates one year ago, when the state unemployment rate was 9.2 percent.

The Janesville metro area, which includes the city of Beloit, has seen the largest decrease in metro area unemployment figures during that time. It went to 10.5 percent in January from 13.3 percent a year ago.

-The Associated Press

contributed to this report.