Indiana County’s unemployment rate took a steep drop in the month of May.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry reported a 6.4 percent unemployment rate for the county last month, which was down eight-tenths of a percentage point from April’s rate.
Comparing Indiana County to neighboring counties, Westmoreland’s rate was 6.1 percent. Jefferson was slightly higher at 6.2 percent. Clearfield County checked in with 7.1 percent, Armstrong had a 7.3 percent unemployment rate, and Cambria’s rate was the highest in our region with 7.5 percent.
The lowest unemployment rate was reported in both Chester and Montour Counties, with 3.9 percent each. The highest was Philadelphia County with 8.9 percent. Statewide unemployment went down to 6.9 percent in May, while the federal unemployment rate declined to 5.8 percent.
The total number of non-farm jobs in Indiana County held steady at 29,500. Eight of the nine employment super sectors were unchanged. The only one that saw substantial change was the Government sector, as it went down 300 jobs due to the start of summer break at IUP.
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