IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County’s jobless rate climbed to 6.2% in July, placing it above the Upper Peninsula rate of 5.9% and the state rate of 4.1%.

Although no specific layoffs were mentioned by the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, there was a disruption in production at AAM Casting as well as the closing of a Shopko store, both in Kingsford.

A year ago, Dickinson County’s July jobless rate was 4%, well below the U.P. rate of 5.3% and the second-lowest in the region.

Twelve of the U.P.’s 15 counties saw jobless rate increases last month, with the largest coming in Dickinson County at 1.8 percentage points, said Jeffrey Aula, bureau analyst. For the entire region, the rate moved up by 0.4 percentage points.

“The jobless rate typically inches up during July in the Upper Peninsula, with an average rise of 0.3 percentage points during most of this decade,” Aula said. There are typically job gains in tourism and construction, but they are somewhat offset by reduced education payrolls at the end of the school year, he said.

Dickinson County showed a total civilian labor force of 12,900, with 800 out of work, up from 550 in June.

Iron County’s jobless rate of 5.8% was up by 0.2 percentage points from June and compared with a July 2018 rate of 4.9%. Iron County had 5,425 workers, with 325 unemployed.

Statewide, the unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage points over the month, Aula said. The national rate was 4%, up from 3.8% in June but down from 4.1% a year ago.

Mackinac County had the lowest jobless rate in the U.P. at 3.5%, followed by Menominee County at 5% and Marquette at 5.6%.

Since July 2018, the U.P. unemployment rate rose by 0.6 percentage points. The largest increase occurred in Dickinson County at 2.2 percentage points.

COUNTY RATE

Alger……………………7 percent

Baraga………………..7 percent

Chippewa………….6.5 percent

Delta………………..5.9 percent

Dickinson………….6.2 percent

Gogebic……………6.4 percent

Houghton………….6.2 percent

Iron…………………..5.8 percent

Keweenaw………..7.4 percent

Luce…………………5.8 percent

Mackinac………….3.5 percent

Marquette…………5.6 percent

Menominee……….5.0 percent

Ontonagon………..7.3 percent

Schoolcraft………..6.6 percent

U.P…………………..5.9 percent

Michigan…………..5.1 percent

U.S……………………..4 percent

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-3500 ext. 26 or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.