MARQUETTE, MI-- The unemployment rate in the Upper Peninsula fell from April to May, down 0.6 percentage points to 5.2 percent.
The U.P. recorded a labor force reduction for the third consecutive month, which led to the lower rate.
The highest jobless rate in the state in May was 8.9 percent in Keweenaw County, while Mackinac County posted the lowest U.P. unemployment rate at 3.7 percent.
Since May 2016 the percent jobless in the U.P. declined by 0.7 percentage points. The decrease was similar to the 0.8 percentage point reduction statewide and exceeded the 0.4 percentage point rate drop nationally.
The U.P.’s seasonally unadjusted May 2017 unemployment rate of 5.2 percent remained well above the Michigan rate of 3.7 percent and the national rate of 4.1 percent.
