March 29, 2016

State Labor Department Releases Preliminary February 2016 Area Unemployment Rates

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)

*Data are preliminary and subject to change
	February 2016*	February 2015
Metro Areas	5.3	6.2
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	4.5	5.2
Binghamton	6.0	7.0
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

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%)

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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