Which county in NY has the highest unemployment rate according to NYS Department of Labor?
I'm curious about unemployment statistics across New York state. Does anyone know which county currently has the highest unemployment rate? I've been looking at moving for work and want to understand the job market better. I checked the NYS Department of Labor website but their regional data is confusing to navigate. Are there any counties I should avoid when job hunting?
8 comments


Malia Ponder
From what I've seen in recent NYS Department of Labor reports, upstate counties like Jefferson and St. Lawrence tend to have higher unemployment rates than downstate areas. The seasonal nature of some industries up there affects the numbers. NYC metro area usually has lower rates but higher cost of living obviously.
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Holly Lascelles
•That makes sense about the seasonal work. I hadn't thought about that factor when looking at the statistics.
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Kyle Wallace
bronx has been rough lately, lots of people i know filing claims
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Ryder Ross
The NYS Department of Labor publishes monthly Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) that break down rates by county and metropolitan areas. Generally, rural counties in the North Country and some areas in Western NY see higher rates. But remember these numbers fluctuate seasonally - tourism areas spike in winter, agricultural regions vary with growing seasons.
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Gianni Serpent
•Do you know if those LAUS reports account for people who've exhausted their benefits? I feel like the real numbers might be higher than what gets reported.
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Henry Delgado
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor for more detailed regional employment data, I had luck using Claimyr at claimyr.com to get through to an actual person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might help if you need to speak with someone about specific county job market resources.
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Olivia Kay
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. Getting through to NYS Department of Labor can definitely be a pain.
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Joshua Hellan
honestly the whole upstate economy is struggling... been on UI twice in the past 3 years and it seems like everyone i know has been through the system at some point
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