Low unemployment rates go lower in most North Bay counties

Unemployment rates for most North Bay counties continued to decline and stay below the statewide rate, according to figures released today by the state Employment Development Department. The unemployment rate in the state was 3.7 percent and nationally, the rate was 3.6 percent, according to the EDD.

Napa County

The unemployment rate for May was 2.5 percent, down from a revised 2.8 percent in April. Rates have been trending down since January when it was 4 percent. The county added 300 jobs bringing the number of jobs in the county to 79,100.

Construction, hospitality and government were among the industries adding jobs. There were declines in the jobs in manufacturing, transportation and utilities and education and health services. Napa’s unemployment rate was 6th lowest in the state.

Sonoma County

The unemployment rate for May was 2.4 percent, down from a revised 2.6 percent in April and below last may when it was 3 percent. It’s been declining since January in this year, when it was about 3.2 percent. The May rate placed Sonoma County as the fifth lowest rate in the state.

Sonoma County added 3,400 jobs, bringing the total number of jobs to 217,100. The non-farm sector actually added 3,700 jobs, but the report indicated that the farm sector jobs declined by 300 to lower the total jobs in the county.

Manufacturing reported a large job gain – 1,500 jobs, as did the education and services sector (2,400). The EDD stated construction added 900 jobs in May. In addition to farm jobs, professional services, government and hospitality job categories saw declines.

Marin County

The unemployment rate for May in Marin County was 2 percent, down .1 percent from where it stood in April. Marin had the second lowest unemployment rate in the state, being San Mateo County. Marin’s January rate was 2.6 percent.

The state reported the county added 500 jobs in May, bringing the total to 117,000. All the job gains were the non-farm sector.

Adding jobs in the month were manufacturing, construction and hospitality. Losing jobs were professional services, and financial activities.

Solano County

The county’s unemployment rate was reported at 3.4 percent in May, down .2 percent from a revised April figure. The county placed 19 among all counties in the state.

For May, the EDD reported that the total jobs in the county was 142,000, up just .4 percent from last month. Farm jobs rose by 14.3 percent with construction, retail and business and professional services scoring more jobs in the month.

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