IRON MOUNTAIN — The Upper Peninsula’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment dipped to 6.3% during April, down from 6.8% in March and 7.1% a year ago, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

“Prominent labor force reductions across the state contributed to regional jobless rate decreases during April,” said Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.

Statewide, Michigan’s labor force has fallen 2% over the year, a reduction 1.4 percentage points larger than the workforce decline observed nationally, Rourke said.

The U.P. showed a civilian labor force of 133,200 in April, down by an estimated 2,500 over the month and 8,300 compared with a year ago. There were 8,400 unemployed in April, down by 900 from March and 1,600 from April 2025.

Regional labor force totals receded in all 18 Michigan labor market areas in April, with a median decrease of 2%, Rourke said. Regional workforce levels fell in 17 regions over the year, with a median decline of 6.6%, he noted.

For the U.P., the workforce decline was 1.8% over the month and 5.9% over the year.

Dickinson County’s April jobless rate of 4.4% was down from 4.8% in March and 5.3% a year ago. The labor force numbered 11,716 in April, with 518 out of work. For April 2025, the DTMB data shows 666 jobless and 12,583 total workers.

The jobless rate in Iron County was 7.9% in April, down from 8.4% in March and 9.3% a year ago. The labor force numbered 4,002, with 315 jobless. In April 2025, there were 409 unemployed in a workforce of 4,379.

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged for the sixth consecutive month at 5%, according to DTMB.

The national unemployment rate was unchanged between March and April at 4.3%.

Over the year, the national unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage points, while Michigan’s rate fell by 0.2 percentage points.

Michigan’s most significant over-the-year numerical industry job gains occurred in the government sector, up by 11,000, and private education and health services, up by 5,000. Job losses were most prominent in manufacturing, down by 10,000 since April 2025, the DTMB data shows.

Seventy-eight of Michigan’s 83 counties exhibited unemployment rate decreases during April, with a median reduction of 0.7 percentage points. Jobless rates fell in 77 Michigan counties over the year.

Menominee County had the lowest jobless rate in the U.P. in April at 4.3%, followed by Dickinson’s 4.4% rate and Houghton County at 5.3%.

The highest U.P. rate was 15.8% in tourism-dependent Mackinac County, followed by 10.3% in Alger County.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported a not-seasonally jobless rate of 4.5% in Florence County in April, down from 4.7% in March but up from 3.7% a year ago.

Marinette County’s April jobless rate of 4.7% was down from 5.6% in March and up from 4.4% in April 2025.

APRIL UNEMPLOYMENT

Menominee….4.3%

Dickinson…….4.4%

Houghton…….5.3%

Marquette……5.5%

Delta…………..5.9%

Gogebic………6.1%

Baraga………..7.1%

Chippewa…….7.3%

Ontonagon…..7.5%

Keweenaw…..7.7%

Iron……………..7.9%

Luce……………8.0%

Schoolcraft…..8.7%

Alger………….10.3%

Mackinac……15.8%

UP………………6.3%

Michigan……..4.5%

*Rates are not seasonally adjusted.