Counties with the highest unemployment in New York

2024 ended on a high note, with the unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Jan. 10.

Unemployment rates were higher in November than the prior year in 308 of 389 metro areas, though they dropped in 60 areas and remained unchanged in 21 areas, the BLS reported.

The lion's share of job growth remained in government, social assistance, and health care, with openings in nursing, residential care facilities, and home health care leading employment in the latter sector.

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 November 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.

Key takeaways: Biden's economic legacy, inauguration day, and immigration's impact on jobs

The latest BLS report highlights the final job figures under the Biden administration, giving the outgoing president a win during his final weeks in office. President Biden highlighted the creation of 16.6 million jobs during his term in a Jan. 11 statement.

"Although I inherited the worst economic crisis in decades with unemployment above 6% when I took office, we've had the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years with unemployment at 4.1% as I leave," he said.

Incoming President-elect Donald Trump will inherit a strong economy, with forecasts tracking ongoing growth into 2025. However, uncertainty remains. Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign goods coupled with a sweeping deportation operation may have a significant impact on the economy, accelerating inflation and tamping down job growth, some experts forecast.

"I worry that immigration will be significantly lower than the long-term average of 1.0 million. I worry that tariffs will be universal and lead to a trade war. That would not be good for the economy and earnings," Hugh Johnson, chairman emeritus at Graypoint, told U.S. News.

What does all this mean for middle-class Americans? The unemployment rate is projected to remain stable, only creeping up to 4.3%, according to the Federal Reserve's latest Summary of Economic Projections. Experts suggest paying down mortgages, revisiting investment strategies, and paying attention to taxes before rates possibly shift as Inauguration Day draws close.

The big story: California wildfires still rage

Although Goldman predicts only a "modest drag" on U.S. jobs due to the devastating California wildfires, the situation is still ongoing. Small businesses destroyed by the fires will impact local jobs; in the wake of the fires, a surge in construction and the need for labor and materials might lead to localized shortages and rising costs, impacting several industries.

However, amid political and environmental uncertainty, it's unclear which way the winds will blow. Americans will have to simply wait for the smoke to clear.

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. Rensselaer County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 81,333 people (2,444 unemployed)

#49. Rockland County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 159,306 people (4,702 unemployed)

#48. Albany County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 157,664 people (4,799 unemployed)

#47. Tioga County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,267 people (689 unemployed)

#46. Livingston County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,350 people (943 unemployed)

#45. Ulster County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 87,281 people (2,664 unemployed)

#44. Dutchess County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 144,870 people (4,489 unemployed)

#43. Suffolk County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 794,996 people (24,801 unemployed)

#42. Seneca County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,338 people (453 unemployed)

#41. Madison County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,760 people (1,039 unemployed)

#40. Cayuga County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,528 people (1,123 unemployed)

#39. Orange County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 190,548 people (6,183 unemployed)

#38. Onondaga County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 222,340 people (7,174 unemployed)

#37. Westchester County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 496,425 people (16,125 unemployed)

#36. Schoharie County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,686 people (484 unemployed)

#35. Essex County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 16,217 people (535 unemployed)

#34. Otsego County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,870 people (900 unemployed)

#33. Schenectady County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 77,096 people (2,564 unemployed)

#32. Lewis County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,975 people (409 unemployed)

#31. Wyoming County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,868 people (566 unemployed)

#30. Delaware County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,277 people (624 unemployed)

#29. Clinton County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 35,145 people (1,205 unemployed)

#28. Oneida County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 98,774 people (3,400 unemployed)

#27. Monroe County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 363,462 people (12,377 unemployed)

#26. Orleans County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,221 people (603 unemployed)

#25. Franklin County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,709 people (652 unemployed)

#24. Greene County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,645 people (692 unemployed)

#23. Allegany County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,625 people (708 unemployed)

#22. Warren County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,016 people (1,070 unemployed)

#21. Chemung County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,903 people (1,221 unemployed)

#20. Broome County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,201 people (2,997 unemployed)

#19. Erie County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 441,255 people (15,951 unemployed)

#18. Schuyler County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,853 people (288 unemployed)

#17. Cortland County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,555 people (838 unemployed)

#16. Herkimer County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 27,032 people (998 unemployed)

#15. Cattaraugus County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,367 people (1,201 unemployed)

#14. Steuben County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,879 people (1,484 unemployed)

#13. Niagara County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 97,435 people (3,653 unemployed)

#12. Oswego County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 52,466 people (2,012 unemployed)

#11. Chautauqua County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 52,727 people (2,015 unemployed)

#10. Montgomery County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,946 people (857 unemployed)

#9. St. Lawrence County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,125 people (1,691 unemployed)

#8. Fulton County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,017 people (880 unemployed)

#7. Jefferson County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 43,338 people (1,728 unemployed)

#6. Hamilton County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,024 people (90 unemployed)

#5. New York County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 938,101 people (45,223 unemployed)

#4. Queens County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.2 million people (55,844 unemployed)

#3. Richmond County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 229,654 people (11,273 unemployed)

#2. Kings County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1.2 million people (71,519 unemployed)

#1. Bronx County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 609,993 people (43,199 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Elena Cox, writing by Alizah Salario, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.