Las Vegas Sun

May 5, 2024

Unemployment rates drop across Nevada last month

LGBT Career Fair

Wade Vandervort

Maria Makupson, right, gets a business card with information on how to apply for a job from Nike recruiter Aubrey Pasadas during the LGBT Career Fair at The Gay & Lesbian Career Center of Southern Nevada, Wednesday, April 4, 2018.

CARSON CITY — All of Nevada's metropolitan areas saw declining unemployment rates last month.

The Nevada Appeal reports the seasonally adjusted jobless rate across the state in September was 4.5 percent, with the highest among metro areas at 4.7 percent in Las Vegas.

The Elko area had the lowest rate among reporting areas at 3 percent.

David Schmidt, chief economist for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, says people are continuing to find jobs, leading to low unemployment in the metro areas.

He says rural areas are also seeing positive job growth, but labor forces in rural areas continue to decline as people move to urban centers for more opportunities.

Nevada's total labor force is 1.52 million with 67,000 people out of work.