Unemployment up in December

Unemployment in Weston County was 3% to close out 2024, according to a Dec. 7 report from the Department of Workforce Services research and planning division. Despite the increase from 2.8% in November 2024, the county tied with Converse and Teton counties for the lowest unemployment rate in the state.

“In December, most county unemployment rates followed their normal seasonal pattern and increased,” the report says. “Jobless rates often rise in December as colder weather brings seasonal job losses in construction and other sectors.”

The report shows November 2024, at 2.8%, was higher than the December 2023 rate of 2.1%. The report notes the largest increases were seen in Niobrara County (up from 2.6% to 3.6%), Big Horn County (up from 3.8% to 4.4%), and Sweetwater County (up from 3.7% to 4.3%).

The report notes that unemployment rates rose in every county from December 2023 to December 2024.

Statewide, the unemployment rate is 3.5%, seasonally adjusted. This is up from 3.3% in November 2024 and 2.1% in December 2023.

Seasonal adjustment, the report says, is a “statistical procedure to remove the impact of normal regularly recurring events (such as weather, major holidays and the opening and closing of schools) for economic time series to better understand changes in economic conditions from month to month.”