Nye ranked highest in unmployment for October

Nye County’s unemployment numbers have seen improvement over a majority of 2018, though the area lags behind the rest of the state.

An October report by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s Research and Analysis Bureau showed Nye County had an unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, of 5.5 percent—down from 6.7 percent in January, or a decrease of 1.2 percentage points. Though the county experienced a decrease in its unemployment numbers, its current rate was still the highest compared to Carson City and each of the other counties in Nevada.

The state, and its rural and urban areas, have seen improvements in unemployment rates.

According to the report, 16 of the state’s 17 counties experienced a decline in unemployment in October over the same period a year ago. Esmeralda County’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in October over year-ago numbers.

In October, the bureau also reported on the “labor market results for the state as a whole, which continue to reflect an ongoing economic expansion in the state,” said David Schmidt, chief economist for the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, in the report.

Unemployment across the state fell to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 4.4 percent (4.9 percent not seasonally adjusted) in October - down 0.1 percentage points from September and down 0.5 percentage points from October 2017. The statewide unemployment rate of 4.4 percent was the lowest since June 2007, according to data from the bureau.

Nevada saw an increase of 5,100 jobs added in October, according to the department’s research and analysis bureau. Statewide, some 45,800 jobs were added from October 2017 through October 2018, a gain of 3.4 percent, according to the report.

Schmidt said that “looking at conditions within the state, we find this growth and expansion is evident across nearly all of the state’s metro areas and counties.”

“Nearly half (seven) of Nevada’s counties remain at or below the U.S. rate (3.5 percent, unadjusted) as a whole,” the report stated. “Rate declines ranged from 0.2 percentage point (Mineral) to 0.8 percentage point (Lincoln). Esmeralda’s rate remained unchanged over the year, making it the only county to not realize a rate decline this month.”

All counties in Nevada were below 6 percent unemployment in October with 12 of the 17 counties in Nevada below 4 percent unemployment. Eureka had the lowest unemployment at 2.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted; just behind there was Elko at 3 percent, also not seasonally adjusted.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com