The unemployment rate in the Hudson Valley remained unchanged in January at 4.5 percent compared to a year before, according to preliminary data released by the state Department of Labor.
An estimated 50,100 people were unemployed in the seven-county region, compared to 51,000 in January 2016.
The labor force decreased by 18,000, or 1.6 percent, to 1,106,100.
The Hudson Valley was the second strongest labor market in New York behind Long Island”™s 4.4 percent unemployment. The Hudson Valley encompasses Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster counties.
While the region stayed even for the year, statewide and national unemployment rates decreased. New York narrowed to 5 percent in January from 5.3 percent the year before. The U.S. dropped from 5.3 percent to 5.1 percent.
The monthly snapshot for the Hudson Valley shows the 4.5 percent January rate widening from 4.1 percent in December. The numbers do not reflect seasonal influences like Christmas, and are not considered as reliable as year-over-year estimates.
The calculations are based on statistical models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
