Counties with the highest unemployment in New York
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in New York using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in New York.
#50. Suffolk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 797,574 people (33,113 unemployed)
#49. Yates County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,753 people (506 unemployed)
#48. Schenectady County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 78,109 people (3,345 unemployed)
#47. Ulster County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 88,357 people (3,781 unemployed)
#46. Monroe County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 366,459 people (15,935 unemployed)
#45. Queens County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.2 million people (50,451 unemployed)
#44. Ontario County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 56,330 people (2,455 unemployed)
#43. Richmond County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 231,131 people (10,159 unemployed)
#42. New York County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 946,084 people (41,281 unemployed)
#41. Chenango County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,968 people (995 unemployed)
#40. Tioga County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,492 people (1,009 unemployed)
#39. Clinton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,558 people (1,617 unemployed)
#38. Sullivan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,136 people (1,726 unemployed)
#37. Chemung County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,482 people (1,602 unemployed)
#36. Oneida County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 100,114 people (4,577 unemployed)
#35. Genesee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,505 people (1,380 unemployed)
#34. Cayuga County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,478 people (1,654 unemployed)
#33. Wayne County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,811 people (2,060 unemployed)
#32. Erie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 448,165 people (21,059 unemployed)
#31. Greene County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,915 people (1,007 unemployed)
#30. Livingston County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,582 people (1,455 unemployed)
#29. Seneca County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,302 people (702 unemployed)
#28. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,041 people (929 unemployed)
#27. Washington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,196 people (1,342 unemployed)
#26. Broome County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,144 people (4,074 unemployed)
#25. Otsego County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,981 people (1,370 unemployed)
#24. Madison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,962 people (1,671 unemployed)
#23. Delaware County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,622 people (963 unemployed)
#22. Warren County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,931 people (1,613 unemployed)
#21. Cattaraugus County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,055 people (1,787 unemployed)
#20. Steuben County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,681 people (2,103 unemployed)
#19. Kings County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.2 million people (64,078 unemployed)
#18. Essex County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,032 people (898 unemployed)
#17. Orleans County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,286 people (910 unemployed)
#16. Chautauqua County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 53,817 people (2,845 unemployed)
#15. Schoharie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,939 people (806 unemployed)
#14. Allegany County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,333 people (1,096 unemployed)
#13. Cortland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,984 people (1,230 unemployed)
#12. St. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,806 people (2,372 unemployed)
#11. Herkimer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,539 people (1,528 unemployed)
#10. Niagara County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,469 people (5,436 unemployed)
#9. Fulton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,426 people (1,259 unemployed)
#8. Oswego County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 52,954 people (2,943 unemployed)
#7. Montgomery County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,097 people (1,261 unemployed)
#6. Wyoming County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,042 people (996 unemployed)
#5. Schuyler County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,872 people (476 unemployed)
#4. Jefferson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,151 people (2,696 unemployed)
#3. Bronx County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 612,006 people (38,326 unemployed)
#2. Lewis County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,119 people (821 unemployed)
#1. Hamilton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,094 people (162 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
