TRAVERSE CITY -- Unemployment rates rose in December in 16 of Michigan's 17 major labor markets.
The state said Thursday that seasonally unadjusted jobless rates increased everywhere except in the Detroit area.
Jobs were lost in several categories including construction, government, the service sector and the tourism industry.
The lowest jobless rate was 9 percent in the Ann Arbor region. The highest rate was 18.7 percent in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, while northwest Lower Michigan came in at 16.2 percent.
In northern Michigan, all 13 counties recorded higher jobless rates in December compared to November. The lowest was in Leelanau County at 11.6 percent, while Cheboygan had the highest at 20 percent.
Average unemployment rates for 2009 were higher than in 2008 across the state. The average jobless rate for the year in northwest Michigan was 13.8 percent, compared to an average rate of 9 percent in 2008. The average rate in northeast Michigan for the year was 16.1 percent, compared to 11.1 percent in 2008.
Regional unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. But national and state rates are adjusted to remove seasonal influences such as climate and production cycles.
Michigan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate in December was a national high of 14.6 percent.
Local jobless rates up again in Dec.
| Region | Dec. '09 | Nov. '09 | Dec. '08 |
| Northwest Michigan | 16.2% | 14.8% | 12.2% |
| Northeast Michigan (including Cheboygan, Otsego and Crawford) | 18.7% | 16.7% | 15.2% |
| State of Michigan | 14.3% | 14.1% | 10.5% |
| County | Dec. jobless rate | State rank of 83 counties |
| Leelanau | 11.6% (10.1%) | 8 (3) |
| Grand Traverse | 13.8% (12.7%) | 22 (19) |
| Manistee | 15.6% (14%) | 40 (36) |
| Crawford | 16% (15.4%) | 44 (46) |
| Kalkaska | 16.6% (16%) | 49 (53) |
| Benzie | 17.8% (15%) | 58 (43) |
| Otsego | 17.9% (17.2%) | 59 (66) |
| Antrim | 18.1% (17.2%) | 62 (67) |
| Charlevoix | 18.2% (16.4%) | 63 (58) |
| Missaukee | 18.3% (15.6%) | 64 (48) |
| Emmet | 18.6% (16.9%) | 67 (62) |
| Wexford | 19.3% (18.5%) | 70 (75) |
| Cheboygan | 20% (16.1%) | 71 (54) |
Last month's rates and state rankings in parentheses
Rates are not seasonally adjusted
Source: Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth
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