October 21, 2014

State Labor Department Releases Preliminary September 2014 Area Unemployment Rates

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for September 2014. Rates are calculated following procedures 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.

The state’s private sector job count increased by 120,500 from September 2013 to September 2014. In September 2014, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 7,614,500, an all-time high. September 2014’s private sector job gain marked the state’s 22nd consecutive month of growth. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 6.4% to 6.2% in September 2014, its lowest level since October 2008.

Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%),
September 2013 and September 2014
(not seasonally adjusted)

*Data are preliminary and subject to change
	September 2014*	September 2013
Upstate NY (52-co. area)	5.5	6.9
Metro Areas	5.5	6.8
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	4.8	6.1
Binghamton	6.0	7.3
Buffalo-Niagara Falls	5.7	7.0
Elmira	6.1	7.8
Glens Falls	5.1	6.4
Ithaca	3.9	4.7
Kingston	5.8	7.2
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown	5.4	6.7
Rochester	5.5	6.8
Syracuse	5.7	7.1
Utica-Rome	5.9	7.2
Non-metro Counties	5.8	7.2

Downstate NY (10-co. area)	5.7	7.6
New York City	6.1	8.5
Suburban Counties	4.8	6.0
Nassau-Suffolk	4.8	5.9
Putnam-Rockland-Westchester	4.9	6.0

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, September 2013 versus September 2014.

Unemployment rate highlights in September 2014:

The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:
- Hamilton County (3.8%)
- Tompkins County (3.9%)
- Yates County (4.3%)
- Putnam County (4.4%)
- Saratoga County (4.4%)
- Columbia County (4.6%)
- Nassau County (4.7%)
- Albany County (4.8%)
- Genesee County (4.8%)
- Ontario County (4.8%)
- Rockland County (4.8%)

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)

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