Wyoming’s unemployment rate fell for the sixth consecutive month in October, according to the state Department of Workforce Services.
The department’s Research and Planning Section, in its monthly unemployment report, () said Wyoming’s unemployment rate in October fell to 5.5%, a decline of 0.6 percentage points from September.
While the rate is lower than the national unemployment rate of 6.9%, it is also higher than the state unemployment rate seen in October of 2019, 3.7%.
The unemployment rate of 5.5% means about 14,930 Wyoming residents are unemployed of the state’s labor force of 295,987.
The department’s report said the unemployment rate fell in most of Wyoming’s counties in October from September, with the largest decline seen in Natrona County, where the rate dropped from 8.9% to 7.8%, and Sweetwater County, where the rate dropped from 6.9% to 6%.
Despite the decline, Natrona County had the highest unemployment rate in the state, followed by Campbell County at 6.4%.
However, the report also said the unemployment rate in every county but one, Goshen, increased over rates seen in October of 2019. Natrona County saw the largest annual increase, with its jobless rate rising from 3.8% in October 2019 to 7.8% this year. Campbell County’s unemployment rate increased from 3.5% in 2019 to 6.4% in October.
“The largest increases occurred in areas of the state that are highly dependent on the energy sector,” the report said.
