Region’s unemployment rate below 3 percent in November

The four counties that make up  Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley boasted unemployment rates of below 3 percent for November, according to the latest figures released Friday by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

For Boulder, Broomfield and Larimer counties, the preliminary estimates would mark 16-year lows for November provided the numbers stand. Weld County’s 2.6 percent unemployment, though, is the lowest mark for November in that county since at least 1990, the earliest year for which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has figures available on its website.

The new numbers from the Department of Labor and Employment are based on a monthly survey of households.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Business Cares: April 2024

In Colorado, 1 in 3 women, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 transgender individuals will experience an attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime. During April, we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the hopes of increasing conversations about this very important issue.

Boulder County led the way with 2.2 percent unemployment in November, down from 2.5 percent in October and 2.7 percent in November of last year. The county had 179,975 people employed and 4,004 seeking jobs. The county’s jobless rate hadn’t been so lo since hitting the same mark in November 2000. The last time it was lower for any month was a 2 percent in December 2000.

Larimer County’s jobless rate in November was 2.3 percent, down from 2.6 percent in October and 2.8 percent in November of last year. Larimer’s number also matched November 2000 and fell just shy of its December 2000 mark of 2.2 percent. Larimer had 183,189 people employed in November and 4,339 looking for work.

Both Weld and Broomfield boasted 2.6 percent unemployment in November. For Weld, that was down from 3 percent in October and 3.3 percent in November of last year. The county had 149,864 people employed and 4,073 seeking jobs. The last time Weld’s unemployment for any month was lower was December 2000 at 2.5 percent. But the last time November came close to the 2.6 mark was 2.7 percent in November 2000. At no other time dating back to 1990 has the county seen its jobless rate go below 3 percent.

Broomfield County’s November mark was down from 2.8 percent in both October of this year and November of last year. That county had 35,095 people employed and 932 looking for work.

The strong local unemployment numbers came despite the state reporting a decrease of 12,500 jobs from October to November. The state’s unemployment rate, however, also declined, dropping three-tenths of a percentage point from October to 3.2 percent. The national unemployment rate in November dipped by the same amount to 4.6 percent.