Capital Region jobless rate 3.9 percent in May

ALBANY — The Capital Region had a 3.9 percent unemployment rate in May, down slightly from April but slightly higher than the 3.7 percent jobless rate in May 2016.

The state Department of Labor announced the statistics Tuesday, and the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area again enjoyed one of the lowest unemployment rates in New York state.

The statewide average jobless rate for metropolitan areas was 4.3 percent in May, and the average for counties outside designated metropolitan statistical areas was 4.9 percent. Unemployment rates among the MSAs ranged from 3.8 percent (Ithaca) to 5.7 percent (Watertown).

For counties in and around the Capital Region, the following unemployment rates were reported for May 2017 and May 2016, respectively:

Albany	3.9	3.7
Fulton	5.2	5.2
Montgomery	5.0	5.1
Rensselaer	3.9	3.8
Saratoga	3.6	3.4
Schenectady	4.2	4.0
Schoharie	4.8	4.8

Saratoga County’s jobless rate was second-lowest in the state, after Columbia County’s 3.4 percent.

The May 2017 unemployment rate was 4.3 percent for the state and 4.5 percent for the nation as a whole.

The Department of Labor announced last week that the state added 32,100 jobs in May, bringing the private-sector job total to 8,063,200, an all-time high.