La Crosse has lowest jobless rate among Wisconsin metro areas

As COVID-19 was shutting down many businesses a year ago, 1 out of every 8 people in the La Crosse area was out of work — a jobless rate of nearly 13%. 

Now, unemployment in the La Crosse-Onalaska metro region is the lowest among Wisconsin’s biggest urban areas (3.2%), according to the latest figures from the state Department of Workforce Development. 

The La Crosse rate is slightly lower than Madison and Wausau. 

That means 8,000 more people in the La Crosse area are working now, compared to April of 2020, with current regional employment at 75,600.  

Most counties surrounding La Crosse have unemployment rates of 6% or lower.  A year ago, unemployment was up to 27% in some northern counties.  

La Crosse County is among the 10 counties in Wisconsin with the lowest unemployment rates for April, in a three-way tie for fifth place with Dane and Green Counties at 3.2%.  That’s down from 3.8% in March.