MADISON - New data released Wednesday by the state Department of Workforce Development shows that as Wisconsin lost jobs for the second straight month – one of only five states to do so -- unemployment was also on the rise last month all across Wisconsin.

The Department of Workforce Development data shows that unemployment was up in all of Wisconsin’s 32 largest cities and was up in 61 out of 72 counties.

Hardest hit among the largest cities was Racine, with a 10.4% unemployment rate. The unemployment data was the second piece of bad economic news for the Racine-area yesterday; Sealed Air also announced it will move all 300 of its Racine- area jobs to a new global headquarters in North Carolina. The new global headquarters for the Fortune 500 Company will employ nearly 1,300 people at an average salary of $120,000 and the project is expected to cost $50 million. News reports indicate that Wisconsin was not among the finalists to land the deal.

And faring worst among the counties was rural Menominee County at 17.8% unemployment. Despite having valuable land and water resources, proud cultural and agricultural heritage, and a dedicated workforce, rural communities like Menominee County have fewer economic opportunities and face challenges securing the same level of access to world-class education and health care enjoyed by other parts of the state.

“Unemployment is up in most of the state, we're dead last in the Midwest in job growth, and Wisconsin is one of only five states to lose jobs in each of the past two months -- Scott Walker can’t run away from this record of failure anymore than he could successfully run on it,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Thursday. “Wisconsin voters have had enough of Scott Walker's failure to create jobs and grow our economy and they are ready for a new direction with Mary Burke."