Counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin
The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Wisconsin, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Key takeaways: Jobs report reveals cooling labor market
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin.
49. Winnebago County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 93,857 people (2,395 unemployed)
49. Monroe County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,878 people (609 unemployed)
48. Vernon County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,258 people (417 unemployed)
47. Shawano County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,583 people (573 unemployed)
44. Manitowoc County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,827 people (1,174 unemployed)
44. Portage County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,533 people (1,106 unemployed)
44. Rock County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 89,276 people (2,608 unemployed)
37. Lincoln County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,311 people (430 unemployed)
37. Green Lake County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,236 people (279 unemployed)
37. Door County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,965 people (448 unemployed)
37. Pepin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,095 people (122 unemployed)
37. Clark County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,469 people (522 unemployed)
37. Waupaca County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,301 people (750 unemployed)
37. Oconto County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,760 people (624 unemployed)
35. Grant County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,779 people (847 unemployed)
35. Kenosha County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 92,194 people (2,930 unemployed)
31. Oneida County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,312 people (606 unemployed)
31. Racine County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 100,413 people (3,279 unemployed)
31. Trempealeau County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,854 people (491 unemployed)
31. Juneau County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,488 people (440 unemployed)
26. Dunn County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,119 people (858 unemployed)
26. Barron County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,840 people (799 unemployed)
26. Wood County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,962 people (1,122 unemployed)
26. Ashland County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,498 people (253 unemployed)
26. Langlade County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,318 people (317 unemployed)
23. Pierce County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,960 people (885 unemployed)
23. Waushara County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,169 people (392 unemployed)
23. Milwaukee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 466,476 people (16,252 unemployed)
19. Sawyer County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,208 people (292 unemployed)
19. St. Croix County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,071 people (1,831 unemployed)
19. Vilas County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,311 people (372 unemployed)
19. Chippewa County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,705 people (1,243 unemployed)
16. Washburn County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,622 people (283 unemployed)
16. Marquette County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,735 people (286 unemployed)
16. Florence County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,074 people (76 unemployed)
15. Jackson County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,053 people (344 unemployed)
14. Taylor County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,459 people (413 unemployed)
12. Douglas County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,121 people (914 unemployed)
12. Marinette County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,081 people (766 unemployed)
11. Forest County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,032 people (166 unemployed)
9. Polk County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,302 people (1,060 unemployed)
9. Crawford County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,078 people (294 unemployed)
8. Rusk County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,376 people (273 unemployed)
6. Burnett County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,663 people (337 unemployed)
6. Price County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,914 people (262 unemployed)
5. Menominee County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,490 people (67 unemployed)
4. Buffalo County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,015 people (276 unemployed)
3. Bayfield County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,439 people (359 unemployed)
2. Adams County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,039 people (400 unemployed)
1. Iron County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,543 people (131 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
