Last updated on 2011.02.21
The December job numbers for Lake County and neighbors brought little holiday cheer. The following table shows job numbers for each county for December, 2010, followed by the monthly and yearly change for each county:
| County | Period | Workers | Jobs | Unemployed | Unemp. Rate |
| Brookings | Dec 2010 | 19140 | 18375 | 765 | 4.0% |
| Nov-Dec | -155 | -245 | 90 | 0.5% | |
| 2009-2010 | 95 | 95 | 0 | 0.0% | |
| Kingsbury | Dec 2010 | 2920 | 2775 | 145 | 4.9% |
| Nov-Dec | -60 | -70 | 10 | 0.4% | |
| 2009-2010 | -80 | -60 | -20 | -0.5% | |
| Lake | Dec 2010 | 6505 | 6155 | 350 | 5.4% |
| Nov-Dec | -60 | -85 | 25 | 0.4% | |
| 2009-2010 | 55 | 75 | -20 | -0.4% | |
| McCook | Dec 2010 | 2735 | 2570 | 165 | 6.0% |
| Nov-Dec | 35 | 0 | 35 | 1.2% | |
| 2009-2010 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0.4% | |
| Miner | Dec 2010 | 1185 | 1115 | 70 | 6.0% |
| Nov-Dec | -25 | -35 | 10 | 1.0% | |
| 2009-2010 | -75 | -80 | 5 | 1.0% | |
| Minnehaha | Dec 2010 | 100100 | 95160 | 4940 | 4.9% |
| Nov-Dec | 485 | 5 | 480 | 0.4% | |
| 2009-2010 | -45 | -20 | -25 | -0.1% | |
| Moody | Dec 2010 | 3925 | 3675 | 250 | 6.3% |
| Nov-Dec | -45 | -65 | 20 | 0.5% | |
| 2009-2010 | 5 | 15 | -10 | -0.3% |
Lake County posted a yearly gain of 75 jobs, which isn't too far off the job creation pace the Lake Area Improvement Corporation set in its five-year 400-new-job goal in 2006. Unfortunately, while 6155 jobs is a gain from December 2008, its still fewer jobs than Lake County has reported at year end since 1999. That's a decade of job growth... gone.
We are 910 jobs away from meeting the Forward Madison jobs goal by the end of this year. The proposed 10% cuts to the state budget will mean more jobs lost in local health care and education. Expect the LAIC to quietly bury the jobs metric of its effectiveness.