As the economy and state of the country’s workforce continues to be a top-of-mind concern for folks close to home and beyond, we checked out the most recent data tracked by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to get a feel for the Chippewa Valley’s standings.

Last spring, the DWD rolled out its analysis of the state’s overall workforce health and trajectory, which included specific “profiles” for each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. That data is up-to-date as of 2025.

However, the DWD tracks and continuously updates other data – including unemployment rates and workforce numbers, among other benchmarks – which we took a closer look at. Those numbers are up-to-date as of this April.

For comparison’s sake, the statewide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) is 3.4%, as of April, with the United States’ overall unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) sits at 4%.

The graphic above, featured in Volume One's June 25 print issue, includes a map of Wisconsin to illustrate, by county, recent unemployment rates. Click here to view the latest stats per the DWD.

Eau Claire County's Unemployment Rate: 3%

Eau Claire County (estimated population 108,807) – encompassing ten towns and cities, including Altoona, Augusta, Seymour, the village of Fall Creek, among others – has become one of the state’s top five counties in terms of positive population growth and is projected to continue on that track. Looking at the unemployment rate, as of April, the county is sitting at 3%. That figure is slightly up, about 0.2%, since this time last year.

While a seemingly small increase, that marks the highest unemployment rate at this time of year since 2021, when the county’s unemployment rate was 3.6%.

Chippewa County's Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

Chippewa County (estimated population 67,104) – home to 10 towns and cities, including Chippewa Falls, Bloomer, Stanley, among others – also continues to see its population grow (up about 1.2% since 2022). That said, the county’s unemployment rate is slightly down, about 0.1% less since this time last year.

And again, while a seemingly small decrease, that keeps the county's unemployment rate lower than last year's, which was the highest it had been since April 2021 – when the county's unemployment rate was 4.4%.

Dunn County's Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

Dunn County (estimated population 45,317) – made up of ten towns and cities including Menomonie, Elk Mound, Colfax, among others – has seen a less-than-one-percent decrease in population over the past couple of years (-0.3%), though its unemployment rate has gone up.

The unemployment rate has gone up just 0.1% since this time last year, yet that’s the highest unemployment rate since April 2021 when the county’s unemployment rate rate was 3.7%.

Local Industry Trends

Notably, according to the DWD, just one of west central Wisconsin's top 12 industries will see a loss in growth over the next several years (per projections between 2022-2032): Information. 

That may not come as a surprise, given the sharp increase in Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration across just about every industry. However, that workforce loss in our broader west central region is unique to that of the state's overall Information industry, which shows a projected 5.7% growth rate. 

Per that same data, west central Wisconsin's top-growing industry will be Construction, with projections showing a 14% growth rate. That's higher than the overall state's projected rate of about 11%.

Of the 12 largest industries, the area which will see the least amount of positive growth is Government, projected to grow about 0.4% in west central Wisconsin. That's on par with the state's overall rate, which sits around 0.3%. 

Overall, Wisconsin consistently trends below the national unemployment rate, though its workforce shifts typically align with the nation’s trends.

As of this spring, western Wisconsin – which the DWD identifies as a nine-county stretch: Polk, St. Croix, Pierce, Barron, Dunn, Pepin, Chippewa, Eau Claire and Clark counties – sits fairly well off, coming in at the low-middle of the pack in terms of unemployment rates.

The state’s unemployment rates range from 2.5% (Calumet, Green counties) to 6.9% (Iron county), with northern Wisconsin generally seeing the highest rates. In the wider western Wisconsin area, Jackson County comes in at 4.1% followed by Pierce and St. Croix Counties at 3.8%.

Learn more about Wisconsin's workforce and related standings through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Check out data visualizations and more at jobcenterofwisconsin.com.