Wyoming Jobless Rate Drops In September
Wyoming's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent in September, down from an August rate of 5.5 percent.
The Research and Planning Section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services says the jobless rate last month was still well above the September 2015 rate of 4.3 percent and a little above the September 2016 U.S. unemployment rate of 5.0 percent.
Most Wyoming counties followed their typical seasonal pattern of declining unemployment between August and September.
Natrona County saw its jobless rate fall from 6.8 percent to 6.6 percent over that period. But even with that drop Natrona County tied Campbell County for the highest unemployment rate in Wyoming last month.
Laramie County's unemployment fell from 4.0 percent to 3.7 in September. Albany County had one of the biggest unemployment declines in the state, falling from 3.3 percent to 2.8 percent.
That gave Albany County the second lowest unemployment number in Wyoming last month, with only Teton County at 2.0 percent being lower in September.
State economist David Bullard says it's hard to tell at this point whether the overall drop in unemployment last month happened because energy companies in Wyoming are starting to hire more people or if it was because workers are leaving the state for stronger job markets in some of the surrounding states such as Colorado.