IRON MOUNTAIN — The Upper Peninsula jobless rate climbed to 5.1% in December, up from 4% in November but down from 5.8% a year ago, according to data released by the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.

Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates advanced in 14 of Michigan’s 17 labor market areas over the month, primarily influenced by employment decreases, said Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.

Unemployment rate increases ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 percentage points, with a median increase of 0.4 percentage points. The U.P.’s increase was 1.1 percentage points.

Meanwhile, preliminary annual average data indicates that regional unemployment rates fell in all 17 Michigan regions over the year.

“Michigan’s 2023 labor market demonstrated marked improvement over the year, reaching an annual jobless rate slightly below the 2019 pre-pandemic rate,” Rourke said.

The statewide not seasonally adjusted jobless rate in December was 3.5%, down from 3.6% in November and 3.8% a year ago.

In the U.P., the civilian labor force totaled 134,100 in December, which was 2,500 more than in December 2022. There were 6,800 unemployed in December, compared with 7,700 a year ago.

Menominee County had the lowest jobless rate in the U.P. in December at 3.4%, followed by Dickinson County at 3.7% and Houghton County at 3.9%.

Delta County’s unemployment rate was 4.8 percent. The jobless rate in Schoolcraft County was 7.8 percent.

Mackinac County had the highest jobless in the state in December at 15.5%. Alger County had the second-highest rate in the U.P. and third-highest in the state at 8.7%.

Seventy-five of Michigan’s 83 counties demonstrated jobless rate gains in December, but 77 exhibited unemployment rate reductions over the year, Rourke said.

The U.S. jobless rate of 3.7% in December was unchanged from November and compared with 3.5% in December 2022 and 3.6% in pre-pandemic December 2019.