IRON MOUNTAIN — The Upper Peninsula’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.1% in January, up from 6.3% in December but down by 0.4 percentage points from January 2025, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

Jobless rates rose in all 18 Michigan labor market areas during January, said Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.

“Payroll jobs decreased over the month,” Rourke said.

Regional data was released more than a month later than usual for MDTMB, partly due to the 43-day federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Regional unemployment figures for February will be released later this month and data from March will go out in early May.

April’s regional data is set for release in late May to put the schedule back on course.

The Upper Peninsula’s civilian labor force in January was estimated at 136,700, up by 1,100 over the month but down by 5,700 from January 2025. There were 9,700 jobless workers in the region in January, up by 1,100 from December but down by 900 from January 2025. The not seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the U.P. in January 2025 was 7.5%.

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged between December and January at 5%, according to MDTMB.

The national unemployment rate declined by one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 4.3%. The national unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points over the year, while the Michigan rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points since January 2025.

MDTMB reported the government sector demonstrated Michigan’s largest over-the-month employment increase in January, up by 2,000. Job losses were seen in manufacturing, down by 3,000, and trade, transportation, and utilities, down by 1,000.

The January jobless rate of 5.3% in Dickinson County was down from 5.4% in January 2025 but up from 4.8% in December. There were 641 unemployed in a labor force of 12,171 in January. The numbers from January 2025 were 684 jobless in a workforce of 12,747.

Iron County’s January jobless rate of 9% was up from 8.1% in December but down from 9.8% in January 2025. There were 376 workers unemployed in a labor force of 4,158 in January. That compared with 427 jobless in a labor force of 4,359 in January 2025.

Annual average jobless rates for each county in Michigan were also reported by MDTMB, even though October 2025 data collection did not occur during the shutdown.

“Annual averages for 2025 are calculated as 11-month averages and will not be strictly comparable to annual averages for prior years,” the agency advised.

Dickinson County’s annual jobless rate in 2025 was 5.1%, which was the same as in 2024. Rates in previous years were 3.9% in 2023, and 4.3% in 2022.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dickinson County’s 2021 annual jobless rate was 4.7% while the 2020 rate was 7.4%. The 2019 rate was 4.4%.

Iron County’s annual jobless rate was 8.1% in 2025, up from 7.5% in 2024. Average rates in previous years were 6.6% in 2023, 6.7% in both 2022 and 2021, 9.6% in 2020 and 6% in 2019.

The highest unemployment rate in the U.P. in January was 18.9% in Mackinac County, followed by 11.2% in Schoolcraft County.

Menominee County’s region-low rate of 5.1% was slightly below Dickinson’s 5.3% rate. The next-lowest was 5.7% in Houghton County. Marquette County’s unemployment rate in January was 6.2% while Delta County’s rate was 7.1%.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported a not seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.4% in Florence County in January. The December rate was 4% while in January 2025 it was 4.6%.

Marinette County’s January unemployment rate of 5.1% was up from 3.8% in December and 4.8% in January 2025.

———

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.