April saw New York’s lowest unemployment rate since January 2020.
According to the New York State Department of Labor, the state unemployment rate decreased from 4.6% in March to 4.5% in April 2022.
Local unemployment data
Unemployment rates in Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties hovered under 3%, with Cayuga County slighter higher at 3.2%.
The U.S. unemployment rate for April is 3.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Related: New York: Number of jobs increased by 23,600, unemployment dropped for fourth straight month in April
Unemployment by county
Cayuga– 3.2%
Ontario– 2.8%
Seneca– 2.9%
Wayne– 2.9%
Yates– 2.5%

Related: High turnover impacting local governments across New York
About DOL data
Labor force data for the current month are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available the following month. Revised estimates for prior months are available at: https://statistics.labor.ny.gov/lslaus.shtm
Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York are specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties and municipalities with population of at least 25,000.
