MONROE — Despite the economy cooling nationwide, local unemployment rates have decreased, continuing a trend in recent years of Green and Lafayette Counties leading the state. 

The data was delayed a month due to the federal government shutdown in October and November, as the information is derived from Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.

With Green and Lafayette Counties leading the way, there was a seven-way tie for the lowest jobless rate in Wisconsin,  with the other counties being Dodge, Door, Calumet, Clark, and Iowa counties. 

According to the most recent report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Green County’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.2 percent from 2.5 percent in August. It was virtually the same story in Lafayette County, where the rate also dropped to 2.2 percent from last month’s 2.5 percent.  And in Rock County, the rate dropped markedly,  to 2.9 percent from the previous monthly rate of 3.5 percent, and 2.7 percent year over year. 

Wisconsin’s state-wide unemployment rate, according to the preliminary data, was unchanged from the previous period at 3.1 percent, which is 1.3 percentage points below the national rate of 4.4 percent.

Other highlights of the report: 

●  Preliminary data shows unemployment decreased in  13 metropolitan areas for the month.

●  Unemployment decreased in all 72 of the state’s counties in the monthly data 

●  Year over year data shows unemployment decreased in 11 Wisconsin counties

●  The City of Milwaukee had the highest unemployment in the state at 3.9 percent in September, down from 4.9 percent in August and up from 3.7 percent from September of 2024.