Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

December jobless numbers rise in northern Wisconsin

By RALPH ANSAMI

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December unemployment rates in northern Wisconsin counties rose across the board, with most jumping around 1 percent from November.

Iron County remained with the second worst figures in the state, at 7.4 percent. That was worse than the 6.3 percent in November, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. A year ago, the Iron County jobless rate was 8.3 percent.

Vilas County went up from 5 percent to 6 percent and neighboring Oneida County worsened from 4.3 percent to 5.2 percent.

The Vilas County jobless rate in December of 2015 was 7.9 percent and Oneida County was at 6.3 percent.

Ashland County rose from 4.8 percent to 5.5 percent, compared to 6.3 percent a year ago.

The Price County jobless rate was 4.6 percent in December and 4.1 percent in November.

The DWD reported that Bayfield County now has the highest unemployment numbers in the state at 7.5 percent, a substantial increase from the 6.2 percent in November, but better than the 8.5 percent of a year ago.

The DWD also provides figures for the state’s largest cities and Wausau’s unemployment rate fell to 3.3 percent in December, compared to 3.5 percent in November.

The statewide jobless rate for December was 4 percent, better than the national average of 4.7 percent, according to the DWD.

 
 
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