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 March 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 have mixed 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 April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up 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. Marathon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 72,890 people (2,309 unemployed)
#49. Vernon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,424 people (514 unemployed)
#48. Portage County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,190 people (1,297 unemployed)
#47. Walworth County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 59,082 people (2,015 unemployed)
#46. Waupaca County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,290 people (893 unemployed)
#45. Manitowoc County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,790 people (1,432 unemployed)
#44. Pepin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,166 people (152 unemployed)
#43. Shawano County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,535 people (730 unemployed)
#42. Richland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,856 people (327 unemployed)
#41. Juneau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,677 people (503 unemployed)
#40. Rock County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 88,531 people (3,259 unemployed)
#39. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,659 people (678 unemployed)
#38. Green Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,022 people (353 unemployed)
#37. Oconto County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 20,846 people (808 unemployed)
#36. Kenosha County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 90,959 people (3,543 unemployed)
#35. Langlade County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,318 people (370 unemployed)
#34. Racine County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,185 people (3,997 unemployed)
#32. Lincoln County (tie)
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,549 people (598 unemployed)
#32. Trempealeau County (tie)
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,743 people (598 unemployed)
#31. Wood County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,399 people (1,356 unemployed)
#30. Milwaukee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 460,987 people (18,898 unemployed)
#29. Waushara County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,338 people (479 unemployed)
#28. Dunn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,125 people (1,059 unemployed)
#27. Chippewa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,572 people (1,501 unemployed)
#26. Door County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,503 people (640 unemployed)
#25. Pierce County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,117 people (1,102 unemployed)
#24. Ashland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,291 people (327 unemployed)
#23. St. Croix County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,040 people (2,288 unemployed)
#22. Marquette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,782 people (358 unemployed)
#21. Florence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,153 people (102 unemployed)
#20. Crawford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,970 people (325 unemployed)
#19. Jackson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,191 people (434 unemployed)
#18. Oneida County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,856 people (846 unemployed)
#17. Barron County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,858 people (1,145 unemployed)
#16. Price County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,447 people (317 unemployed)
#15. Washburn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,503 people (374 unemployed)
#14. Taylor County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,925 people (545 unemployed)
#13. Marinette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,034 people (951 unemployed)
#12. Rusk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,427 people (329 unemployed)
#11. Forest County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,984 people (208 unemployed)
#10. Buffalo County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 6,167 people (323 unemployed)
#9. Vilas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,094 people (529 unemployed)
#8. Douglas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,200 people (1,258 unemployed)
#7. Sawyer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,898 people (431 unemployed)
#6. Polk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,655 people (1,441 unemployed)
#5. Menominee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,507 people (86 unemployed)
#4. Adams County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,934 people (486 unemployed)
#3. Bayfield County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 7,267 people (453 unemployed)
#2. Burnett County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,415 people (470 unemployed)
#1. Iron County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,603 people (182 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
