Upstate unemployment picture improves from last year

The upstate New York unemployment rate dropped from 7.8 percent in October 2012 to 6.8 percent this past October, according to preliminary information released today by the state Department of Labor.

Unfortunately, the positive trends seen across most the state were not evident in New York City, where unemployment only dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.9 percent compared to October 2012. Some of the most encouraging news was in the Capital Region, with tri-city area unemployment going from 7.1 percent to 6 percent and Glens Falls unemployment dropping from 7.5 percent to 6.3 percent.

Below is a map that illustrates the unemployment picture by county.

"The state’s private sector job count increased by 112,700 from October 2012 to October 2013," reads the state press release. "The economy added 9,000 private sector jobs in October 2013 and 24,800 in September 2013, bringing the state’s job count to a record high of 7,490,100."

New York's unemployment picture is still worse than the rest of the country. 

The counties with the state's lowest unemployment in October were:

• Tompkins County (4.8%)
• Yates County (5.2%)
• Hamilton County (5.3%)
• Putnam County (5.5%)
• Saratoga County (5.5%)

The counties with the state's highest unemployment in October were:

• Bronx County (12.2%)
• Kings County (9.6%)
• Jefferson County (8.7%)
• Orleans County (8.5%)
• St. Lawrence County (8.3%)

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