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Jobless rates up in area counties
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MADISON - A slight uptick in June unemployment rates for Green and Lafayette counties comes as no surprise. A May-to-June rate increase is typical for the counties and for many other counties in the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development on Wednesday released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' local unemployment estimates, which include revisions for May 2014 and preliminary estimates for June 2014. Local unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.

Both Green and Lafayette counties saw a 0.4 point increase in their unemployment rates for June. Green County landed at 5.3 percent unemployment, up from 4.9 percent in May, and Lafayette County was at 4.7 percent, up from 4.3 percent.

Green County has had May-June increases of 0.4 to 0.5 point in, at least, the past three years, and Lafayette County has had 0.4 to 0.6 point increases.

Rates in both counties remain about 1 percentage point below last year. Green County was at 6.4 percent in June 2013; Lafayette County was at 5.6 percent.

June 2014 rates increased in 61 of 72 counties and decreased or remained the same in the remaining 11 counties compared to rates in May 2014. June 2014 rates were below June 2013 rates in all Wisconsin counties, except for Iron County, which had no change.

The June 2014 rates ranged from 4.2 percent in Dane and St. Croix counties to 17.8 percent in Menominee.

Dane was up 0.4 point from 3.8 percent in May, but still almost a point down from 5.1 percent in June 2013. Rock County's rate also rose 0.4 point, from 6.5 percent in May to 6.9 percent in June. Rock had 8.5 percent unemployment in June 2013.

Iowa County dropped 0.1 point to 4.7 percent in June, from 4.8 percent in May. It had 6 percent unemployment in June 2013. Iowa's rate drop in June sent it from 13th to 6th place among the lowest in the state for the month. Lafayette was ranked 7th lowest.

The May-June story is the same for cities and their metro areas.

Preliminary June 2014 rates increased in all 32 municipalities and in the 12 metro areas from the rates in May 2014 and decreased compared to rates in June 2013.

June 2014 rates in cities ranged from 3.5 percent in Caledonia to 10.4 percent in Racine. Metro rates, all up 0.3 to 0.6 point for the month, ranged from 4.3 percent in metro Madison to 7.6 percent in metro Racine. All metro rates are about 1 to 1.6 points lower than last year.

The city of Janesville saw 7.3 percent unemployment in June, up from 6.9 percent in May, but down from 9 percent in 2013. The city of Madison rose to 4.3 percent in June, up from 3.9 in May, but down from 5.2 percent in 2013.

Metro Madison was up 0.3 points from 4 percent in May, but still down 1 full point from 5.3 percent in 2013. Janesville metro area, at 6.9 percent in June was up 0.4 point from 6.5 percent in May and down 1.6 points from a year earlier.

Employment growth in the past year has been plus-8,200 in Madison metro and plus-2,200 for Janesville metro.

Without seasonal adjustment, Wisconsin's unemployment rate was 6 percent, up from 5.5 percent in May and down from 7.1 percent in June 2013. Without seasonal adjustment, the U.S. rate for June was 6.3 percent, up from 6.1 percent in May and down from 7.8 percent in June 2013.

The Department of Financial Institutions reported new business formations were up 5.7 percent through June compared to the same period in 2013.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, compiled from a monthly survey of 1,450 households, measures the labor force, employment, unemployment and the unemployment rate.