Unemployment fell or held steady in largest Wisconsin cities in March

MADISON — Unemployment rates dropped or held steady in Wisconsin's largest cities last month.

Preliminary data the state Department of Workforce Development released Wednesday shows unemployment rates in 30 in the state's 32 largest cities decreased from February. Rates held steady at 3.3 percent in Fitchburg and 5.5 percent in Superior. Racine had the highest unemployment at 7.2 percent.

Unemployment fell in 71 of the state's 72 counties in March. The only county that saw an increase was Menominee, where unemployment rose from 8.9 percent in February to 9.1 percent in March. Bayfield County, which is heavily dependent upon tourism, had the highest unemployment rate at 10.2 percent.

The local rates aren't seasonally adjusted so they're not comparable to the state unemployment rate, which stood at 4.5 percent in March.