In a year’s time, the unemployment rate has dropped by 1.6 percent in Erie County.
County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Friday that the unemployment rate is now 5.6 percent, down from 7.2 percent in January.
The unemployment rate in the Buffalo-Niagara region is 5.8 percent, down from 6.6 percent in November 2013. The rate is down in all other Western New York counties as well:
- Allegany County: 5.8 percent, down from 6.5 percent
- Cattaraugus County: 6.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent
- Chautauqua County: 6.3 percent, down from 7.3 percent
- Genesee County: 5.3 percent, down from 6.1 percent
- Niagara County: 6.3 percent, down from 7.1 percent
- Orleans County: 6.8 percent, down from 8.3 percent
- Wyoming County: 6.1 percent, down from 7 percent
The state’s unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, its lowest level in more than six years. The national unemployment rate is 5.8 percent.
The state’s private sector job count is more than 7.6 million, a record-high level.
Since Governor Andrew Cuomo took office, the state has added more than a half million jobs and employment has grown in 40 of the past 47 months, including 22 months of consecutive private sector job growth, the state’s longest streak on record.
The number of jobs increased in most WNY counties from November 2013 to November 2014, including a .1 percent increase in Buffalo-Niagara Falls, a .5 percent increase in Allegany County and a .6 percent increase in Cattaraugus County.
The number of jobs remained flat in Genesee and Wyoming counties, while they deceased by .08 percent in Chautauqua County.
No data was provided for Orleans County.
