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Colorado Unemployment Down Slightly in May

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Employers in Colorado added 7,700 nonfarm payroll jobs from April to May for a total of 2,723,400 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased 8,400 and government decreased by 700. April estimates were revised down to 2,715,700, and the over the month increase from March to April was 5,900 rather than the originally estimated 7,200.

According to the survey of households, the unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point from April to May to 2.8 percent. The number of people actively participating in the labor force increased 8,200 over the month to 3,064,200 and the number of people reporting themselves as employed increased 11,200 to 2,979,200, causing the number of unemployed to decrease 2,900 and the unemployment rate to decline to 2.8 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point in May to 3.8 percent. This is the lowest unemployment rate for the U.S. since it was 3.8 percent in April 2000.
Over the year, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased from 33.8 to 34.1 hours and average hourly earnings increased from $27.16 to $28.40.

The largest over the month private sector job gains were in leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation, and utilities, and professional and business services. There were no significant private sector over the month declines.

Over the year, nonfarm payroll jobs increased 72,800, with an increase of 67,100 in the private sector and an increase of 5,700 in government. The largest private sector job gains were in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and trade, transportation, and utilities. Other services declined over the year.

Over the year, the unemployment rate is up two-tenths of a percentage point from 2.6 percent. The number of Coloradans participating in the labor force increased 89,900, total employment increased 83,400 and the number of unemployed increased 6,400. The national unemployment rate declined from 4.3 percent in May 2017 to 3.8 percent in May 2018.

Not Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force

 

May 2018

           

Labor Force

 Employment 

 Unemployment 

Rate

Colorado

3,073,077

2,998,546

74,531

2.4

Counties

 

 

 

 

Adams

268,404

261,694

6,710

2.5

Alamosa 

8,683

8,440

243

2.8

Arapahoe 

361,076

352,543

8,533

2.4

Archuleta 

6,854

6,695

159

2.3

Baca 

2,225

2,194

31

1.4

Bent 

2,027

1,982

45

2.2

Boulder

192,335

188,294

4,041

2.1

Broomfield

39,005

38,163

842

2.2

Chaffee

9,736

9,541

195

2.0

Cheyenne 

1,230

1,215

15

1.2

Clear Creek 

6,025

5,884

141

2.3

Conejos

4,140

4,018

122

2.9

Costilla 

1,921

1,866

55

2.9

Crowley 

1,516

1,469

47

3.1

Custer 

2,031

1,971

60

3.0

Delta 

15,039

14,624

415

2.8

Denver 

408,184

398,570

9,614

2.4

Dolores 

1,202

1,177

25

2.1

Douglas 

188,531

184,626

3,905

2.1

Eagle

32,712

31,690

1,022

3.1

El Paso 

337,144

327,696

9,448

2.8

Elbert 

14,837

14,532

305

2.1

Fremont

15,604

15,043

561

3.6

Garfield

30,642

29,824

818

2.7

Gilpin 

3,705

3,634

71

1.9

Grand 

8,765

8,541

224

2.6

Gunnison 

10,906

10,676

230

2.1

Hinsdale 

430

422

8

1.9

Huerfano 

2,656

2,542

114

4.3

Jackson 

1,029

1,009

20

1.9

Jefferson

334,473

326,994

7,479

2.2

Kiowa 

1,008

994

14

1.4

Kit Carson 

4,856

4,783

73

1.5

La Plata

32,245

31,580

665

2.1

Lake 

4,596

4,486

110

2.4

Larimer

203,700

199,602

4,098

2.0

Las Animas 

6,580

6,355

225

3.4

Lincoln 

2,561

2,518

43

1.7

Logan

11,562

11,317

245

2.1

Mesa

75,877

73,692

2,185

2.9

Mineral 

408

400

8

2.0

Moffat

7,563

7,371

192

2.5

Montezuma 

13,632

13,191

441

3.2

Montrose

22,196

21,593

603

2.7

Morgan

16,724

16,376

348

2.1

Otero 

8,683

8,375

308

3.5

Ouray 

2,394

2,326

68

2.8

Park 

10,473

10,240

233

2.2

Phillips 

2,779

2,741

38

1.4

Pitkin

10,984

10,318

666

6.1

Prowers 

6,608

6,462

146

2.2

Pueblo

75,460

72,810

2,650

3.5

Rio Blanco 

2,988

2,899

89

3.0

Rio Grande

5,790

5,606

184

3.2

Routt

14,910

14,499

411

2.8

Saguache

3,742

3,634

108

2.9

San Juan 

470

462

8

1.7

San Miguel 

4,610

4,279

331

7.2

Sedgwick 

1,272

1,248

24

1.9

Summit

19,295

18,789

506

2.6

Teller 

12,523

12,195

328

2.6

Washington 

3,236

3,177

59

1.8

Weld

164,155

160,622

3,533

2.2

Yuma 

6,128

6,038

90

1.5

 

LABOR FORCE SUMMARY

COLORADO

Preliminary Estimates for May 2018  (in thousands)

  

       

   

LABOR FORCE DATA

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED:                                   

 

 

Change from last:

 

May-18

Apr-18

May-17

Month

Year

Total Civilian Labor Force

3,064.2

3,056.0

2,974.4

8.2

89.9

Unemployment     

85.1

88.0

78.7

-2.9

6.4

     Unemployment Rate (%)

2.8

2.9

2.6

-0.1

0.2

 Employment

2,979.2

2,968.0

2,895.7

11.2

83.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNADJUSTED FOR SEASONALITY:

 

 

 

Change from last:

 

May-18

Apr-18

May-17

Month

Year

Total Civilian Labor Force

3,073.1

3,058.0

2,963.2

15.1

109.9

Unemployment 

74.5

79.3

75.7

-4.8

-1.2

     Unemployment Rate (%)

2.4

2.6

2.6

-0.2

-0.2

 Employment 

2,998.5

2,978.7

2,887.5

19.9

111.1

      

WAGE AND SALARY EMPLOYMENT DATA

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED:

 

 

 

Change from last:

 

May-18

Apr-18

May-17

Month

Year

Mining & Logging

29.0

28.8

25.6

0.2

3.4

Construction

171.6

171.2

161.9

0.4

9.7

Manufacturing

147.5

147.0

143.9

0.5

3.6

Trade, Transportation, & Utilities

471.3

468.8

459.6

2.5

11.7

Information

74.0

74.3

71.1

-0.3

2.9

Financial Activities

169.0

169.4

167.6

-0.4

1.4

Professional & Business Services

427.1

425.0

412.0

2.1

15.1

Educational & Health Services

337.0

337.1

333.1

-0.1

3.9

Leisure & Hospitality

349.0

344.7

331.4

4.3

17.6

Other Services

106.9

107.7

109.1

-0.8

-2.2

Government

441.0

441.7

435.3

-0.7

5.7

TOTAL NONAG

2,723.4

2,715.7

2,650.6

7.7

72.8

Labor Disputants

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNADJUSTED FOR SEASONALITY:

 

  

Change from last:

 

May-18

Apr-18

May-17

Month

Year

Mining & Logging

28.9

28.6

25.2

0.3

3.7

Construction

171.6

167.7

162.0

3.9

9.6

Manufacturing

147.4

146.1

143.5

1.3

3.9

Trade, Transportation, & Utilities

468.3

463.1

455.4

5.2

12.9

Information

73.7

73.9

70.7

-0.2

3.0

Financial Activities

167.4

168.7

166.5

-1.3

0.9

Professional & Business Services

428.3

424.6

412.1

3.7

16.2

Educational & Health Services

337.2

337.2

334.1

0.0

3.1

Leisure & Hospitality

337.5

341.3

321.5

-3.8

16.0

Other Services

106.7

107.4

108.7

-0.7

-2.0

Government

452.7

449.0

446.0

3.7

6.7

TOTAL NONAG

2,719.7

2,707.6

2,645.7

12.1

74.0

Labor Disputants

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0