Putnam's Jobless Rate Dropped in October

Putnam’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in October, down from 4.4 percent in September.

Unemployment rates in Rockland and Westchester counties were also lower in October, but too high to put the counties back on the state’s list of lowest unemployment rates, according to preliminary data released by the state Labor Department.

Things are still better than last year.

The Orange-Rockland-Westchester market had a 4.3 percent unemployment rate in October, the Labor Department said. In October 2014, the unemployment rate for Orange-Rockland-Westchester was 4.7 percent. Last year it was 4.6 percent for the Dutchess-Putnam counties region, which dropped to 4.2 percent in October this year.

Putnam drove that lower number. Again last month it was on the list of counties with the lowest jobless rates.

Unemployment rate highlights in October 2015: The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates included:

• Columbia County (3.5%)
• Tompkins County (3.6%)
• Saratoga County (3.8%)
• Albany County (4.0%)
• Nassau County (4.0%)
• New York County (4.0%)
• Ontario County (4.0%)
• Yates County (4.0%)
• Putnam County (4.1%)
• Queens County (4.1%)

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SOURCE: New York State Department of Labor