The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary October 2012 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties on November 21st. St. Croix County’s rate was estimated at 4.3% compared to the September rate of 4.4% and August’s rate of 5.1%. The preliminary rate for September was previously announced at 4.5% and was finalized at 4.4%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 4.6%.

DWD said 71 of the 72  counties had rate declines between September and October, and all but one had declines compared to October 2011. Of Wisconsin’s 32 municipalities with a population of least 25,000 residents, all but one had declines in unemployment rates between September and October, and all had declines year over year.

Nine counties had lower unemployment rates than St. Croix in October. Dane had the lowest rate in the state at 4.0% (down from September’s rate of 4.4% and August’s rate of 5.0%), followed by Pepin, also at 4.0%, Grant (4.2%), Lafayette (4.2%), and Pierce (4.2%). Menominee (12.5%) had October’s highest unemployment rate in the state, followed by Iron (9.1%), Adams (7.9%), Kenosha (7.6%), and Lincoln (7.5%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to the October rates for St. Croix and Pierce (above), Dunn County’s rate was 4.3% (down from the September rate of 4.9% and August’s rate of 6.4%). Polk County’s rate in October was 6.1%, compared to the September rate of 6.7% and August’s rate of 7.6%. All four counties in the Greater St. Croix Valley had lower unemployment rates year over year.

The 13-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area reported an unemployment rate of 5.2% in October, down from September’s rate of 5.3% and August’s rate of 5.7%. One year ago, the unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 5.4%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in October was estimated at 6.9%, down from the September rate of 7.3% and August’s rate of 7.5%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 7.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota for October was estimated at 5.8%, unchanged from September and down from August’s rate of 5.9%. Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted rate was 6.1% one year ago. 

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. in October was estimated at 7.9%, up from the September rate of 7.8%, but lower than August’s rate of 8.1%. One year ago the U.S. rate was estimated at 8.9%.

October’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.