Hudson Valley unemployment rate 2nd lowest in state

Unemployment in the Hudson Valley declined by an estimated 2,200 people in March, compared to a year ago, according to preliminary figures released by the state Department of Labor.

The region”™s 4.1 percent unemployment rate was the second lowest in the state”™s 10 labor regions, trailing only Long Island at 4 percent.

The rate narrowed from 4.3 percent in March 2016 and from 4.8 percent in February.

Within the Hudson Valley, Putnam County ranked the best at 3.9 percent, followed by Dutchess, 4 percent; Rockland, 4 percent; Westchester, 4.1 percent; Orange, 4.2 percent; Ulster, 4.4 percent and Sullivan, 5 percent.

Statewide, unemployment narrowed to 4.4 percent from 5.1 percent a year ago. The national unemployment rate dropped from 5.1 percent to 4.6 percent.

State rates are calculated with a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics model and based partly on a survey of 3,100 households. The numbers can be revised as more information becomes available in the following month, and they are not adjusted for seasonal influences, such as holiday and summer jobs.