June 23, 2015

State Labor Department Releases Preliminary May 2015 Area Unemployment Rates

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for May 2015. 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 139,300 from May 2014 to May 2015. In May 2015, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 7,783,800, an all-time 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 was unchanged at 5.7% in May 2015, remaining at its lowest level since August 2008.

Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%),
May 2014 and May 2015
(not seasonally adjusted)

*Data are preliminary and subject to change
	May 2015*	May 2014
Metro Areas	5.3	6.2
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	4.4	4.9
Binghamton	5.7	6.1
Buffalo-Niagara Falls	5.3	6.0
Dutchess-Putnam	4.6	5.1
Elmira	5.9	6.1
Glens Falls	4.9	5.8
Ithaca	4.1	4.2
Kingston	4.8	5.6
Nassau-Suffolk	4.5	4.9
New York City	5.9	7.3
Orange-Rockland-Westchester	4.6	5.1
Rochester	5.1	5.7
Syracuse	5.4	5.9
Utica-Rome	5.4	5.9
Watertown-Fort Drum	6.3	7.1
Non-metro Counties	5.7	6.3

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, May 2014 versus May 2015.

Unemployment rate highlights in May 2015:

The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:
- Columbia County (3.9%)
- Saratoga County (4.1%)
- Tompkins County (4.1%)
- Nassau County (4.3%)
- Putnam County (4.3%)
- Albany County (4.4%)
- Rensselaer County (4.5%)
- Ontario County (4.6%)
- Rockland County (4.6%)
- Suffolk County (4.6%)
- Westchester 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)

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