ALBANY – Columbia County had the lowest rate of unemployment in the Hudson Valley in August at 3.3 percent. That is down from 3.6 percent in the same month last year. The county had the second lowest rate in the state; only Hamilton County had less unemployment.
Putnam County, at 3.9 percent, was down from 4.2 percent a year before.
Dutchess County had the third lowest rate of joblessness at 4.0 percent, down from 4.3 percent in August 2015.
Rockland and Sullivan counties each had 4.1 percent unemployment. Rockland was down from 4.5 percent the year before, while Sullivan dropped from 4.7 percent.
Westchester and Orange counties were tied at 4.2 percent unemployment; both counties had 4.5 percent in August 2015.
At 4.3 percent in August, Ulster County’s unemployment rate was down from 4.7 percent one year before and Greene County, at 4.4 percent, fell from 5.0 percent in August 2015.
The regional unemployment rate in August was 4.1 percent, the lowest August since 2007. That is down from 4.2 percent in July and down from 4.5 percent in August 2015. In August 2016, there were 47,400 unemployed in the region, down from 49,200 in July and down from 51,400 in August 2015.
Year-over-year in August, the labor force increased by 1,900 or 0.2 percent to 1.14 million.
