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UP jobless rate falls to lowest level in 20 years for August

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Upper Peninsula jobless rate fell to 4.1 percent in August, the lowest August rate for the region in nearly 20 years, said analyst Bruce Weaver of the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

The rate was down by 1.2 percentage points from July and 1.9 percentage points from a year ago, Weaver said.

It was the lowest August rate since 1999, when it was also 4.1 percent, he noted.

“Mackinac County matched Ottawa County with the lowest August 2018 jobless rate in the state at 2.6 percent,” Weaver said. Dickinson County had the second-lowest U.P. rate at 3.2 percent, followed by Menominee at 3.7 percent, and Iron and Marquette at 3.9 percent each.

Ontonagon County tied for the highest jobless rate in Michigan at 6.2 percent.

“The drop in the August jobless rates in many Upper Peninsula counties was primarily related to a seasonal reduction in the number of person actively looking for work,” Weaver said. “In the Upper Peninsula, Marquette was the only county to record a noticeable monthly employment advance.”

Dickinson County reported a civilian workforce of 12,600, including 400 unemployed. Its 3.2 percent jobless rate compared with 4 percent in July and 4.9 percent a year ago.

Iron County had a civilian workforce of 5,275, with 200 looking for work. Its jobless rate of 3.9 percent was down from 5 percent in July and 5.8 percent in August 2017.

The largest jobless rate declines over the past year came in Baraga County, dipping 2.9 percent, and Keweenaw, down 2.8 percent.

Statewide, the unemployment rate fell by 1.3 percent in August, while in the Upper Peninsula it dropped 1.9 percent.

The U.P.’s August jobless rate of 4.1 percent was slightly higher than Michigan rate of 3.8 percent and the national rate of 3.9 percent. The reported rates are not seasonally adjusted, Weaver noted.

COUNTY RATE

Alger……………….5.1 percent

Baraga…………….4.7 percent

Chippewa…………4.9 percent

Delta……………….4.3 percent

Dickinson…………3.2 percent

Gogebic……………4.4 percent

Houghton………….4.3 percent

Iron…………………3.9 percent

Keweenaw………..5.0 percent

Luce………………..4.5 percent

Mackinac…………2.6 percent

Marquette………..3.9 percent

Menominee……….3.7 percent

Ontonagon………..6.2 percent

Schoolcraft……….5.2 percent

U.P…………………4.1 percent

Michigan………….3.8 percent

U.S………………….3.9 percent

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