Orleans unemployment rate falls below 10% for first time since April
The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at 9.8 percent in August, nearly double what is was in August 2019 when the rate was 5.1 percent, according to the NYS Department of Labor.
The number of people working in Orleans dropped from 16,800 to 15,600 during the 12-month period, while the number of unemployed increased from 900 to 1,700.
The 9.8 percent unemployment rate in Orleans County is the first time it is under 10 percent since April when it was 15.9 percent. Since then the rate has been 11.5 percent in May, 10.8 percent in June and 12.7 percent in July.
The unemployment rates nationally increased from 3.8 percent in August 2019 to 8.5 percent in August 2020. In New York, the rate is up from 4.1 percent to 12.6 percent.
The unemployment rates for other nearby counties include:
- Erie, 10.8 percent
- Genesee, 8.1 percent
- Livingston, 7.6 percent
- Monroe, 10.5 percent
- Niagara, 10.9 percent
- Wyoming, 7.5 percent
The highest rates in the state are 21.1 percent in the Bronx and 16.4 percent in Queens. Hamilton at 5.5 percent and Yates at 6.9 percent have the lowest rates in the state.
Nationally, the number of people working dropped by 10.6 million from August 2019 to August 2020, from 157.8 million to 147.2 million. The number of unemployed in the U.S. increased by 7.5 million.
State-wide, the number of people working is down 824,000 from 9.14 million to 8.32 million. The number of unemployed increased in the state by 806,000 from August 2019 to August 2020.
