IRON MOUNTAIN — Upper Peninsula jobless rates fell in May as Dickinson County showed the lowest rate in the region at 3.9%, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

The U.P.’s unemployment rate of 5.2% was down from 5.8% in April and compared with a statewide rate of 4.6%.

The Michigan jobless rate was up from 4.2% in April, said Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates rose in 13 of Michigan’s 17 labor market areas over the month. The gains were “primarily due to workforce increases across multiple regions,” Rourke said.

Dickinson County’s unemployment rate was down by 0.4 percentage points from April and by 1.4 percentage points from a year ago, when it was 5.3%.

The improvement came despite carrying a larger workforce. The county’s civilian labor force in May totaled 12,480, including 491 looking for work. In April, the labor force numbered 12,093, with 514 unemployed.

Iron County’s jobless rate of 5.2% in May was down from 6% in April and 6.4% a year ago. Its labor force totaled 5,001, with 262 unemployed. In April there were 4,793 workers, including 287 jobless.

Unemployment rates receded in all 17 Michigan labor markets over the year, with a median decrease of 1.7 percentage points, Rourke said.

The Upper Peninsula’s jobless rate was down by 1.0 percentage points from May 2021. Its labor force meanwhile, grew by 4,200 over the year, an increase of 3.2%.

Menominee County had the second-lowest unemployment rate in the U.P. in May at 4.0%. Ontonagon County had the highest rate at 7.8%.

The U.S. jobless rate of 3.6% in May was unchanged from April.

UNEMPLOYMENT FOR MAY 2022

COUNTY ………… RATE

Dickinson ………… 3.9%

Menominee ………… 4.0%

Marquette ………… 4.8%

Mackinac ………… 4.9%

Delta ………… 5.2%

Gogebic ………… 5.2%

Houghton ………… 5.2%

Iron ………… 5.2%

Chippewa ………… 5.7%

Luce ………… 6.3%

Keweenaw ………… 6.7%

Alger ………… 7.1%

Schoolcraft ………… 7.1%

Baraga ………… 7.2%

Ontonagon ………… 7.8%

U.P. ………… 5.2%

Michigan ………… 4.6%

U.S ………… 3.6%