What was unemployment rate in 2018 - trying to understand NYS Department of Labor historical data for my research

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that New York's unemployment rate in 2018 averaged around 4.1% for the year, which was actually below the national average. The NYS Department of Labor maintains historical data on their website under the Labor Market Information section. You'll want to look for their annual employment reports or monthly labor statistics archives.

yeah 2018 was pretty good for jobs in NY. i remember because that's when i finally got off unemployment after being on it for like 6 months in 2017. the job market was way better than it had been

If you're doing research, make sure you're looking at seasonally adjusted data. The NYS Department of Labor publishes both adjusted and unadjusted figures. For academic work, you typically want the seasonally adjusted numbers. Also check if you need the U-3 rate (standard unemployment) or U-6 (includes underemployment).

I think 2018 was when unemployment was at like historic lows? My cousin graduated college that year and actually had multiple job offers which was crazy compared to what people were dealing with a few years before that

The Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) website has excellent historical unemployment data for New York state going back decades. It's easier to navigate than the NYS Department of Labor site sometimes and you can download the data in different formats for your research.