Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Nevada unemployment at lowest level since June 2008

CARSON CITY — Nevada’s unemployment rate fell to 7.1 percent in October, down from 7.3 percent the previous month and the lowest level since June 2008.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today that 96,700 people were jobless, down from the 100,000 in September.

Officials say Nevada has added 40,000 jobs across the state in the first 10 months of the year.

The national unemployment rate for October was 5.8 percent.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said the decline was encouraging but more work needs to be done to grow small businesses.

The state also released regional unemployment statistics that aren’t seasonally adjusted like the statewide figure.

Clark County posted a 6.8 percent unemployment rate, compared to 7.1 percent in September.

The Reno-Sparks area reported unemployment at 6.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent in September.

Esmeralda County recorded the lowest rate in the state at an estimated 3 percent, while Mineral County had the highest at 9.8 percent.

If the economy continues to improve, Nevada’s jobless rate should drop to below 6 percent in 2016, said Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy