NEW YORK, NY — The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for January 2016. Rates are calculated as prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.
From January 2015 to January 2016, the State’s private sector job count increased by 114,000. In January 2016, the number of private sector jobs in the State was 7,868,100. The State’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In addition, between December 2015 and January 2016, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 5.0% to 4.9%, reaching pre-recession levels.
Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%) January 2015 and January 2016 (not seasonally adjusted)
| January 2016* | Jan-15 | |
| Metro Areas | 5.4 | 6.3 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| Binghamton | 6.3 | 7.3 |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls | 5.7 | 6.7 |
| Dutchess-Putnam | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| Elmira | 6.2 | 6.5 |
| Glens Falls | 6.1 | 7.2 |
| Ithaca | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| Kingston | 4.9 | 5.9 |
| Nassau-Suffolk | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| New York City | 5.9 | 6.9 |
| Orange-Rockland-Westchester | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| Rochester | 5.3 | 6.2 |
| Syracuse | 5.6 | 6.6 |
| Utica-Rome | 5.9 | 7 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | 7.4 | 8.7 |
| Non-metro Counties | 6.4 | 7.5 |
*Data are preliminary and subject to change
The data in the preceding table are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences (e.g., holiday and summer hires). Therefore, the most valid comparisons with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month, for example, January 2015 versus January 2016.
Unemployment Rate Highlights in January 2016:
The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:
Nassau County (4.2%)
Tompkins County (4.2%)
Columbia County (4.3%)
Putnam County (4.3%)
Albany County (4.4%)
Rockland County (4.4%)
Saratoga County (4.4%)
Orange County (4.5%)
Westchester County (4.5%)
Dutchess County (4.6%)
See County Unemployment Rates (opens in new window) for current unemployment rates for all 62 counties in New York State.
Labor force data for the current month are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available the following month. Revised estimates for prior months are available at: http://labor.ny.gov/stats/LSLAUS.shtm
Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties, and municipalities with population of at least 25,000.
See State and Area Unemployment Rates (opens in new window)
See Unemployment Rate Map (opens in new window)
See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet (opens in new window)
