Lincoln County’s unemployment rate dropped one percentage point from March 2016 to March 2017, according to a report released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
Lincoln County’s unemployment rate was 5.5% in March 2016. The latest statistics show the county’s unemployment rate at 4.5%, ranking it as the 43rd lowest of the state’s 72 counties.
The DWD on Wednesday released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of unemployment and employment statistics for metro areas, major cities and counties in Wisconsin.
Preliminary March 2017 rates decreased in all 72 counties when compared over the year to March 2016 rates and in 71 of 72 counties when compared over the month to February 2017. The largest decline over the year was 2.3% in Bayfield County. The latest rates ranged from 2.5% in Dane to 7.9% in Iron.
The release of the March 2017 local rates follows last week’s release of BLS monthly estimates showing a preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4% in March 2017, dropping to its lowest rate since April 2000. Data also showed both total labor force and employment in Wisconsin reached an all-time high in March, while the number of unemployed individuals was its lowest since June 2000.