Jobless rate down slightly in Greene, holds steady in Washington
The unemployment rate for Greene County dropped one-tenth of a percentage point in February and remained the same in Washington.
Washington County’s rate stayed at 5.0 percent and Greene’s fell to 5.6, according to figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry.
The seasonably adjusted numbers show the rate for each county has fallen significantly since the previous February. Greene’s figure is down six-tenths of a point from 6.2 percent a year earlier, and Washington’s five-tenths from 5.5.
Washington’s February figure is two-tenths above that of the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which posted a 4.8 rate, one-tenth of a point decrease from January. The two local counties’ February figures were above those for Pennsylvania (4.8) and the United States (4.1).
Washington County’s labor force, according to Labor & Industry, was 106,200. There were 5,300 out of work in February. Greene had a labor force of 16,700 and 900 unemployed.
At 5.0 percent, Washington and Westmoreland tied for the third-lowest countywide rates in the MSA, which also consists of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and Fayette counties, plus Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh MSA tied for the 11th-lowest jobless rate among Pennsylvania’s 18 MSAs.
Allegheny and Butler tied for the lowest unemployment figure in the MSA, 4.6 percent. Fayette (6.5) the highest. Beaver (5.3) was fifth and Armstrong (6.0) sixth.
Fayette County’s rate was down from 6.8 percent in January and 7.3 percent from February 2017.
Among the state’s 67 counties, Adams, Chester and Lancaster (all 3.6) all had the lowest jobless rate. Cameron and Forest (both 6.7) had the highest.
Total nonfarm jobs rose by 900 from January to February in the Pittsburgh MSA. Jobs in the MSA rose by 1.5 percent over the year – an increase of 17,800 – while jobs statewide increased by 1.4 percent.