Counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin
Counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Wisconsin using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 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.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin.
#50. Iowa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,070 people (468 unemployed)
#49. Portage County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,003 people (1,242 unemployed)
#48. Manitowoc County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,272 people (1,341 unemployed)
#47. Walworth County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 58,958 people (1,941 unemployed)
#46. Shawano County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,385 people (700 unemployed)
#45. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,356 people (612 unemployed)
#44. Vernon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,279 people (546 unemployed)
#43. Waupaca County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,119 people (894 unemployed)
#42. Rock County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 88,450 people (3,185 unemployed)
#41. Florence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,133 people (78 unemployed)
#40. Kenosha County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 90,284 people (3,368 unemployed)
#39. Richland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,754 people (331 unemployed)
#38. Green Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,957 people (352 unemployed)
#37. Racine County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 98,932 people (3,862 unemployed)
#36. Milwaukee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 458,858 people (17,707 unemployed)
#35. Juneau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,587 people (549 unemployed)
#34. Lincoln County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,545 people (582 unemployed)
#33. Dunn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,960 people (988 unemployed)
#32. Oconto County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,834 people (844 unemployed)
#31. Ashland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,295 people (308 unemployed)
#30. Door County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,507 people (603 unemployed)
#29. Wood County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,292 people (1,400 unemployed)
#28. Pepin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,123 people (178 unemployed)
#27. Price County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,385 people (276 unemployed)
#26. Langlade County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,308 people (414 unemployed)
#25. Waushara County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,335 people (503 unemployed)
#24. Oneida County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,859 people (778 unemployed)
#23. Trempealeau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,715 people (667 unemployed)
#22. Pierce County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,091 people (1,121 unemployed)
#21. Chippewa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,560 people (1,540 unemployed)
#20. St. Croix County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,107 people (2,322 unemployed)
#19. Rusk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,385 people (303 unemployed)
#18. Barron County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,714 people (1,126 unemployed)
#17. Menominee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,474 people (71 unemployed)
#16. Washburn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,500 people (359 unemployed)
#15. Marinette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,980 people (911 unemployed)
#14. Taylor County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,828 people (535 unemployed)
#13. Vilas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,303 people (516 unemployed)
#12. Marquette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,758 people (395 unemployed)
#11. Sawyer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,938 people (414 unemployed)
#10. Douglas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,173 people (1,216 unemployed)
#9. Buffalo County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,068 people (322 unemployed)
#8. Jackson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,159 people (485 unemployed)
#7. Crawford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,967 people (379 unemployed)
#6. Bayfield County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,279 people (418 unemployed)
#5. Forest County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,983 people (230 unemployed)
#4. Polk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,753 people (1,553 unemployed)
#3. Iron County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,597 people (165 unemployed)
#2. Burnett County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,415 people (477 unemployed)
#1. Adams County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,958 people (541 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
