Jobless rate remains low

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Weston County’s unemployment rate remains second lowest in the state for both June and August. The county has consistently ranked among the five lowest counties in the state for over a year, according to the unemployment reports from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Research and Planning Division. 
In June, July and August, Weston County had the second-lowest unemployment rate in the state, following only Teton County.  In June, 3.8% of Weston County’s labor force was unemployed; in July that number dropped to 3.1%, and in August, it dropped even further to 2.7%. 
During this time, the labor force has fluctuated. In June, 3,938 people were in the labor force. In July, there were 3,758 and in August 3,765. 
In June, 151 individuals in the county were unemployed. There were 116 in July and 101 in August. 
Statewide, the August unemployment rate was reported to be 3.7%, down from 4.4% in July and 5.6% in June. Nationally, unemployment rates have been consistently higher than the state’s, with an unemployment rate of 6.1% in June, 5.7% in July and 5.3% in August. 
Year over year, every county in the state experienced a decrease in their unemployment rate. 
“Jobless rates were elevated in August 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest over-the-year decreases were seen in Natrona (down from 9% to 5%), Campbell (down from 8.4% to 4.6%), Converse (down from 7.5% to 3.9%) and Sweetwater (down from 8% to 4.7%) counties,” the report states. 
Weston County dropped from 3.9% in August of 2020 to 2.7% in August. 
Over the past year, Wyoming’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.9% in August of 2020 to 3.7% in August of this year, while the national unemployment rate has gone from 8.5% to 5.3% in the past year.