NEW YORK, NY — The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for October 2017. Rates are calculated using methods 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 October 2016 to October 2017, the State’s private sector job count increased by 98,200. In October 2017, the number of private sector jobs in the State was 8,068,100. The State’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers, which is conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 4.9% to 4.8% in October 2017.
Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%)
October 2016 and October 2017
(not seasonally adjusted)
| October 2017* | October 2016* | |
| Metro Areas | 4.6 | 4.8 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | 4 | 3.9 |
| Binghamton | 4.8 | 5 |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| Dutchess-Putnam | 4.1 | 4 |
| Elmira | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| Glens Falls | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| Ithaca | 4 | 3.9 |
| Kingston | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Nassau-Suffolk | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| New York City | 4.9 | 5.2 |
| Orange-Rockland-Westchester | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| Rochester | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Syracuse | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Utica-Rome | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | 5.4 | 5.7 |
| Non-metro Counties | 4.8 | 4.9 |
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, October 2016 versus October 2017.
Unemployment Rate Highlights in October 2017 (not seasonally adjusted):
The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates in October 2017 include:
- Columbia County (3.4%)
- Saratoga County (3.7%)
- Yates County (3.8%)
- Seneca County (3.9%)
- Albany County (4.0%)
- Nassau County (4.0%)
- Tompkins County (4.0%)
- Washington County (4.0%)