Counties with the highest unemployment in New York
Counties with the highest unemployment in New York
Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last month.
As of August, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 315 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 45 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in New York, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in August 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.
The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.1% in September, down slightly from the previous month. Still, it's up substantially from 3.8% during the same month last year and remains higher than it had otherwise been since December 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.
The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in New York.
#50. Sullivan County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,141 people (1,403 unemployed)
#49. Tioga County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,064 people (804 unemployed)
#48. Wayne County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,413 people (1,561 unemployed)
#47. Nassau County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 729,397 people (26,510 unemployed)
#46. Schuyler County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,199 people (304 unemployed)
#45. Putnam County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,227 people (1,889 unemployed)
#44. Rensselaer County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 81,865 people (3,069 unemployed)
#43. Rockland County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 160,610 people (5,993 unemployed)
#42. Livingston County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,342 people (1,150 unemployed)
#41. Madison County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,866 people (1,249 unemployed)
#40. Dutchess County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 144,776 people (5,485 unemployed)
#39. Albany County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 158,602 people (6,057 unemployed)
#38. Franklin County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,661 people (731 unemployed)
#37. Tompkins County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,018 people (1,835 unemployed)
#36. Ulster County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 87,616 people (3,445 unemployed)
#35. Orange County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 192,295 people (7,559 unemployed)
#34. Onondaga County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 221,376 people (8,717 unemployed)
#33. Suffolk County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 801,802 people (31,447 unemployed)
#32. Lewis County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,068 people (477 unemployed)
#31. Clinton County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,422 people (1,391 unemployed)
#30. Cayuga County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,553 people (1,411 unemployed)
#29. Steuben County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,874 people (1,589 unemployed)
#28. Schoharie County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,944 people (620 unemployed)
#27. Greene County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,972 people (824 unemployed)
#26. Otsego County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,586 people (1,079 unemployed)
#25. Schenectady County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 77,576 people (3,183 unemployed)
#24. Oneida County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,817 people (4,053 unemployed)
#23. Westchester County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 500,754 people (20,356 unemployed)
#22. Delaware County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 18,301 people (772 unemployed)
#21. Herkimer County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,394 people (1,158 unemployed)
#20. Cattaraugus County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,222 people (1,369 unemployed)
#19. Monroe County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 360,037 people (15,276 unemployed)
#18. Cortland County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 21,548 people (925 unemployed)
#17. Jefferson County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,348 people (1,900 unemployed)
#16. Orleans County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,319 people (756 unemployed)
#15. Chemung County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,180 people (1,506 unemployed)
#14. Oswego County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 52,270 people (2,287 unemployed)
#13. Chautauqua County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 53,355 people (2,342 unemployed)
#12. Erie County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 443,230 people (19,618 unemployed)
#11. Allegany County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 18,838 people (843 unemployed)
#10. Fulton County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,681 people (981 unemployed)
#9. Broome County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 81,520 people (3,651 unemployed)
#8. Niagara County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 98,046 people (4,467 unemployed)
#7. Montgomery County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,773 people (1,019 unemployed)
#6. St. Lawrence County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,999 people (2,108 unemployed)
#5. New York County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 952,482 people (51,476 unemployed)
#4. Queens County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.2 million people (63,198 unemployed)
#3. Richmond County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 233,696 people (13,553 unemployed)
#2. Kings County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.3 million people (81,191 unemployed)
#1. Bronx County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 621,763 people (49,795 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.