Wisconsin added 47,700 jobs from May 2015 to May 2016, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That’s a 1.7 percent increase during the same 12-month period the state’s unemployment rate declined from 4.6 percent to 4.2 percent.
Wisconsin’s 4.2 percent May unemployment rate was down from 4.4 percent in April, and is its lowest rate since March 2001, the Department of Workforce Development announced yesterday.
The state’s unemployment rate is relatively low when compared to other states. Wisconsin is tied with Massachusetts and Montana for 18th lowest unemployment rate in the country. The lowest unemployment rate is in South Dakota, at 2.5 percent.
The lowest ever Wisconsin unemployment rate was 3 percent in July 1999. Its highest was 11.9 percent in January 1983.
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