Milwaukee-Area Locales Exhibit Jobless Rates among Nation's Highest.

Byline: Joel Dresang

Apr. 7--Unemployment rates for Janesville and Racine ranked among the 50 highest of 331 metropolitan areas nationwide in February, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At an unadjusted rate of 7.3 percent, Janesville had the 33rd highest unemployment in February. Racine, at 6.3 percent , was 49th.

Having two Wisconsin cities crack the highest 50 unemployment rates is another illustration of how the nation's economic slowdown has hit the state. None of Wisconsin's 11 metropolitan areas fell into that category either in January or in February 2000. February marked the first month in more than 13 years that the …