Albany, NY (October 23, 2012) -
The State Labor Department today released local area unemployment rates for September 2012, which are developed using a procedure determined by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). As reported in last week's jobs press release, the state's overall unemployment rate fell from 9.1% to 8.9% in September 2012. The state rate relies on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households (out of more than 7 million) in New York State as a primary source of data.
In contrast, the USDOL's private sector job count, which is based on a survey of over 18,000 employers, increased by more than 134,000 from September 2011 to September 2012. In addition, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 3.4%, from 87,996 to 85,018 during that time period. Due to its larger sample size, the payroll survey is considered a more reliable gauge of the state's economy.
| (*Data are preliminary and subject to change) | |||
|
September 2012* |
September 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstate NY (52-co. area) |
8.1 |
7.8 | |
| Metro Areas |
8.0 |
7.6 | |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy |
7.5 |
7.1 | |
| Binghamton |
8.5 |
8.3 | |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls |
8.4 |
7.7 | |
| Elmira |
9.0 |
8.0 | |
| Glens Falls |
7.4 |
7.2 | |
| Ithaca |
5.7 |
5.9 | |
| Kingston |
8.6 |
8.1 | |
| Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown |
8.1 |
7.7 | |
| Rochester |
7.9 |
7.6 | |
| Syracuse |
8.4 |
8.1 | |
| Utica-Rome |
8.0 |
7.8 | |
| Non-metro Counties |
8.5 |
8.2 | |
| Downstate NY (10-co. area) |
8.3 |
8.4 | |
| New York City |
8.8 |
9.1 | |
| Suburban Counties |
7.3 |
7.0 | |
| Nassau-Suffolk |
7.3 |
7.1 | |
| Putnam-Rockland-Westchester |
7.1 |
6.8 | |
The data above 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, September 2011 versus September 2012.
Unemployment rate highlights in September 2012:
Note: 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 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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