RBC I After a good drop in the Rio Blanco unemployment rate between December and January, February’s numbers represent a large hike in the county’s jobless numbers from 4.7 percent in January to 5.4 percent in February.
The good news is that the 5.4 percent from February is down from the 6.3 percent in February 2015.
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment non-seasonably adjusted figures, there were 2,807 persons in the available county labor force, and 2,655 of those held jobs while 152 were listed as receiving unemployment for the 5.4 percent.
In January, there were 2,799 persons in the available county labor force with 2,677 holding jobs and 132 on unemployment for the 4.7 percent jobless rate.
In February 2015, there were 2,782 in the available work force while 2,606 of those held jobs and 176 were on unemployment for the 6.3 percent jobless rate.
The Colorado state jobless rate rose by .1 percent from 3.2 percent in January to a still-low 3.3 percent jobless rate statewide in February. In February 2015, the state rate for unemployment was a higher 4.7 percent.
In February this year, there were 2,868,832 residents in the available state workforce while 2,773,456 were employed, 95,376 were jobless for the 3.3 percent jobless rate statewide.
In January, there were 2,832,171 in the available workforce while 2,741,337 held jobs and 91,434 were on unemployment for a rate of 3.2 percent.
In February 2015, there were 2,819,395 available workers, 2,686,906 were employed while the jobless numbered 132,489 for an unemployment rate statewide of 4.7 percent.
In January, Rio Blanco County had the 12th-highest unemployment rate in the state for the 64 counties in Colorado. In February, Rio Blanco County jumped up into a tie for third highest along with San Juan (Silverton is county seat), Rio Grande (Del Norte), Mesa (Grand Junction) and Costilla (San Luis) counties.
The only two counties with jobless rates higher than Rio Blanco County were state-leading Huerfano County (Walsenburg) with 7.1 percent jobless and Montezuma (Cortez) with a rate of 5.7 percent unemployed.
On the up side, there was a tie between Baca (Springfield) and Summit (Breckenridge) counties for the lowest unemployment rates in the state at 1.7 percent. No. 3 lowest in Colorado was Kiowa County (Eads) at 1.8 percent while No. 4 lowest in the state was a tie between Cheyenne (Cheyenne Wells) and San Miguel (Telluride) counties with an unemployment rate of 2.0 percent.
