Rockland County Has One of the Lowest Unemployment Rates in New York

he New York State Department of Labor released preliminary local area unemployment rates for January 2015 this week—and Rockland County continues to have one of the lowest in the state.

The unemployment rate in January was higher than in December, reflecting seasonal employment; however, it was still lower this year than in January 2014.

• • Look for local opportunities in the Jobs section on Nyack-Piermont Patch. Stay on top of Patch’s local coverage by subscribing to the Nyack-Piermont newsletter.

The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include:

• Tompkins County (4.8%)
• Nassau County (5.0%)
• Putnam County (5.0%)
• Saratoga County (5.0%)
• Albany County (5.2%)
• Columbia County (5.2%)
• Rockland County (5.3%)
• Westchester County (5.3%)
• Dutchess County (5.5%)
• Orange County (5.6%)
• Schenectady County (5.6%)

The Orange-Rockland-Westchester metro area had a combined unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, down from 6 percent in January 2014.

Putnam County drove the engine for the new Dutchess-Putnam metro area, which posted a rate of 5.4 percent in January 2015 compared to a 6.2 percent unemployment rate in the same month 2014.

Rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.