ALBANY — Local unemployment decreased in March after steady bumps in January and February, on par with the rates reported a year ago this month, according to state labor officials.
The state Department of Labor last week reported that the February unemployment rate in Cattaraugus County was 5.3%, up from 5.1% in January, and a one-tenth percentage point more than reported in February 2024. The labor force was 33,200 in February, up 300 from January and down 200 from February 2024.
Meanwhile, the March unemployment rate in Cattaraugus County was 4.6%, down 0.7% from February and up a one-tenth percentage point from the rate reported in March 2024. The labor force was 32,800 in February, down 400 from February and down 300 from March 2024.
The employed labor force was 31,400 in February and 31,300 in March, up slightly from the 31,200 reported in January. The employed labor force was 31,700 in February 2024 and 31,600 in March of last year.
The unemployed labor force was 1,800 in February, up 100 from January, followed by a decrease of 300 to 1,500 in March. The unemployed labor force was 1,700 in February 2024 and 1,500 in March of last year.
Statewide, the unemployment rate saw a steady decline from 4.6% in January to 4.3% in February to 4.1% in March, an overall decrease from 4.6% in February 2024 and 4.3% in March of last year.
Statewide, 426,000 were unemployed in February and 404,300 were unemployed in March, a significant decline from the 450,000 unemployed persons reported in January. Comparatively, 450,000 were also reported unemployed in February 2024 and 419,400 were unemployed in March of last year.
In March, the highest county unemployment rate was 6.7% in Hamilton County, followed by 5.9% in Bronx County and 5.6% in Lewis County. In February, Hamilton County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.6%, followed by Schuyler County at 6.6% and Lewis County at 6.4%.
The lowest unemployment rate in March was 3.2% in Putnam, Rockland and Saratoga counties. In February, Putnam, Rockland, Saratoga and Tompkins counties had the lowest unemployment rates at 3.6%
Nationwide, the unemployment rate has seen a steady increase from 4.0% in January to 4.1% in February and 4.2% in March — a 0.3% bump from the 3.9% reported for March 2024 — according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nevada again led the nation in state unemployment, at 5.7%, while South Dakota saw the lowest jobless rate at 1.8%.
Three states had unemployment rate increases: Connecticut (0.2%) and Massachusetts and Virginia (0.1% each). Indiana had the only rate decrease (-0.2%). The remaining 46 states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier.
All rates come from surveys and methods created by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not adjusted for seasonal variations. For example, unemployment rates in the area are generally highest in January and February, peaking in either of those months for the last decade, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
