Wisconsin Economy

Unemployment falls in 11 Wisconsin metro areas

Recent unemployment data illustrates the strengthening Wisconsin economy. Two state metro areas Appleton and Madison had unemployment rates at less than 4%. Appleton ranked first with 3.1% followed by Madison at a 3.6% unemployment rate. Both metros markets showed improvement when compared with data for year 2004.

Other strong state markets include Sheboygan, Oshkosh-Neenah and La Crosse with unemployment rates under 5%. All the state markets showed employment gains with the exception of Janesville-Beloit with unemployment increasing from 6.5% in 2004 to 9.6% in 2005.

Wisconsin statewide saw unemployment averaging at 4.8% compared with 5.2% nationwide.