Unemployment rate in Orleans and NY comes down in May after high in April
Rate in May is about triple the unemployed from May 2019
The local and state unemployment rates, while far higher than they were a year ago, have come down from the highs in April.
The state Department of Labor reports the unemployment rate in Orleans was 11.6 percent in May and 14.2 percent state-wide.
In April it was 15.8 percent in Orleans and 15.0 percent state-wide.
In Orleans, the number of people working was 15,000 in May, compared to 16,400 in May 2019. The number of unemployed went from 700 in May 2019 to 2,000 last month.
In Orleans, some businesses were able to reopen in Phase 1 on May 15, with Phase 2 starting on May 29. Phase 3 began on June 12. Orleans County and the rest of the Finger Lakes Region can start in Phase 4 on Friday (June 26).
The 11.6 percent unemployment rate in Orleans County compares to a 4.0 percent rate in May 2019, long before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unemployment rates in May for other nearby counties include:
Niagara at 16.0 percent, Erie at 13.9 percent; Livingston at 11.0 percent; Monroe at 9.6 percent, Ontario is at 10.1 percent; Genesee at 10.1 percent; and Wyoming at 10.1 percent.
When Orleans County hit 15.8 percent unemployed in April, it was the first time Orleans was above 10 percent in unemployment since February 2013 (10.6 percent) and January 2013 (11.2 percent).
