The Northwoods hasn't seen unemployment numbers like this for nearly two decades.
Here's state labor economist Mitchell Rupp of Wausau talking about the unemployment percentages in the Northwoods...
"....Forest is at 4.0, Langlade is at 3.4, Lincoln and Oneida are at 2.9, Vilas is at 3.4(percent)...."
Iron county has the state's highest rate at 5.3 percent. Price county is at 3 percent.
Preliminary May 2017 rates decreased in all 72 counties when compared to May 2016 rates and decreased or remained the same in 68 of the 72 counties from this Apri to May.
Rupp says May is often the month of highest employment during the year...
"...people have found jobs they want to hold onto and they're not leaving for other work. After May there is usually a little bit of a jump in the unemployment rate for the month of June, but that's attributed to students coming out of school and joining the labor force....."
Wisconsin's 3.1 percent unemployment rate tied for the 7th lowest in the nation in May 2017 and was significantly lower than the national rate of 4.3 percent.
Dane and Lafayette counties had the state's lowest jobless rates at 2.2 percent.
