Unemployment rate stalls in lower Hudson Valley

The unemployment rate in the lower Hudson Valley has stalled, according to state Department of Labor statistics, even as the national rate improved.

The 4.6 percent August unemployment rate in Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties is the same as in July and up from 4.3 percent a year ago.

The civilian labor force declined by an estimated 11,400 people from July to August, to 828,200. About 10,800 fewer people were employed.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was stuck at 4.9 percent in August, July and August 2016.

Over the same August to August period, national unemployment declined 10 percent, from 5 percent to 4.5 percent.

The best August unemployment rates in the three-county region were in Port Chester, Rye and Monroe, at 3.7 percent.

The worst were in Mount Vernon, 6.3; Newburgh, 6.2; and Yonkers, 5.7.

Nonfarm jobs in the region declined by an estimated 6,200 in August, including 4,200 jobs in the private sector and 2,000 in government.

The yearly snapshot remains positive, with 14,000 more jobs in the three counties.

The strongest subsectors last month were transportation and warehousing and ambulatory health care services, each with 400 more jobs.

The greatest losses were in accommodation and food services, down by 1,900 jobs; local government, down by 1,800; and retail trade, down by 1,100.

Unemployment rates are calculated with a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics model and based partly on a survey of 3,100 households.

Job counts are based on a survey of 18,000 New York employers. Monthly estimates are preliminary and are not adjusted for seasonal influences, such as summer jobs.

The two methods often result in different totals and the numbers can be revised in following months as more information becomes available.