Unemployment rate falls 1/10th in Carson City

Nevada’s statewide unemployment rate finished August at 6.8 percent — steady in the seasonally adjusted numbers but down a tenth in the raw count.

Carson City’s rate remains higher than the state average but did come down from 7.2 percent in July to 7.1 percent in August. That’s seven tenths lower than a year ago with just 1,800 estimated as still looking for work in the capital.

Just to the north in Reno-Sparks, the unemployment rate is a full percent lower at 6.1 percent. That’s two tenths down from July and a decrease of nine tenths from August 2014. There are 227,765 workers in Washoe, 13,918 of them jobless.

Las Vegas reported a 7 percent unemployment rate with just more than a million in the workforce and 73,400 jobless. That’s six tenths lower than a year ago and a tenth down from July this year.

Nevada has added 40,200 jobs so far this year with less than 100,000 out of work in a labor force of 1.43 million.

As of the end of August, Mineral County is the only reporting area still with double digit unemployment — 10.6 percent.

Other rural counties are doing much better with Esmeralda’s jobless rate at just 4.3 percent, Elko at 4.9 percent and White Pine at 5.1 percent.

After Mineral, Lyon and Nye counties are highest, both with rates at 8.7 percent for the month.

Bill Anderson, Chief Economist for the Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation, said there are now 76,400 private businesses in Nevada, a 9.5 percent increase from the recessionary low in 2010. Clark has added 6,100 more businesses and Washoe County 530 establishments.

The only metropolitan reporting area that didn’t see growth in the number of private sector businesses was Carson City, which was down by 2.5 percent of some 50 businesses.

Lyon reported 1,979 jobless in a pool of 22,645.

Churchill County unemployment decreased by two tenths in August. There are about 722 people looking for work there out of 10,553 in the labor force — a rate of 6.8 percent unemployment.

Douglas was at 6.5 percent, a tenth lower than in July with 1,470 out of work in a pool of 22,639.