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St. Lawrence County unemployment rate improves to 9.5%, lowest rate since last year

Posted 10/23/12

The unemployment rate in St. Lawrence County has fallen below 10 percent for the first time since October 2011. The state Labor Department said the jobless rate in September stood at 9.5 percent, …

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St. Lawrence County unemployment rate improves to 9.5%, lowest rate since last year

Posted

The unemployment rate in St. Lawrence County has fallen below 10 percent for the first time since October 2011.

The state Labor Department said the jobless rate in September stood at 9.5 percent, down from 10.7 percent in August, a drop of 1.2 percent in a month.

The September rate is the lowest in the county since the 9 percent tally in October last year. It is down substantially from the 12 percent tallied in January 2011.

Since then, joblessness crept up to 11 percent in June and 11.1 percent in July.

This September’s rate is down from the 9.8 percent posted in September last year.

Joblessness has also dropped in neighboring Franklin County -- 8.9 percent in September, 9.3 percent in August -- and Jefferson County -- down a tenth of point in September to 8.8 percent from 8.9 percent in August.

The state average unemployment rate for September was 8.2 percent.

While St. Lawrence County has a higher rate than the state average, it is no longer at the top among upstate counties.

The 9.5 percent rate for September is matched by Oswego and Steuben counties, and is lower than the rate in Orleans and Montgomery counties, at 9.9 percent, and Fulton County, at 10.6 percent.

The Bronx continues to lead all counties with a 12.1 percent unemployment rate.