NEW YORK, NY — The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for February 2016. Rates are calculated as prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.
From February 2015 to February 2016, the State’s private sector job count increased by 122,700. In February 2016, the number of private sector jobs in the State was 7,884,000, a record high. 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, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 4.9% to 4.8% in February 2016, reaching its lowest level since November 2007.
Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%)
February 2015 and February 2016
(not seasonally adjusted)
|
February 2016* |
February 2015* |
|||||
|
Metro Areas |
5.3 |
6.2 |
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|
Albany-Schenectady-Troy |
4.5 |
5.2 |
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|
Binghamton |
6 |
7 |
||||
|
Buffalo-Niagara Falls |
5.5 |
6.5 |
||||
|
Dutchess-Putnam |
4.3 |
5.2 |
||||
|
Elmira |
6.2 |
6.6 |
||||
|
Glens Falls |
6.1 |
7.1 |
||||
|
Ithaca |
3.7 |
4.4 |
||||
|
Kingston |
4.7 |
5.8 |
||||
|
Nassau-Suffolk |
4.5 |
5.3 |
||||
|
New York City |
5.9 |
6.7 |
||||
|
Orange-Rockland-Westchester |
4.4 |
5.3 |
||||
|
Rochester |
5.1 |
6.1 |
||||
|
Syracuse |
5.3 |
6.4 |
||||
|
Utica-Rome |
5.6 |
6.9 |
||||
|
Watertown-Fort Drum |
7.3 |
8.8 |
||||
|
Non-metro Counties |
6.1 |
7.3 |
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*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, February 2015 versus February 2016.
Unemployment Rate Highlights in February 2016:
The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:
Tompkins County (3.7%)
Nassau County (4.1%)
Putnam County (4.1%)
Albany County (4.2%)
Columbia County (4.2%)
Rockland County (4.2%)
Saratoga County (4.3%)
Dutchess County (4.4%)
Orange County (4.4%)
Westchester County (4.4%)