WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) — New York State has released preliminary December 2020 unemployment rates.
On Tuesday, the New York State Department of Labor released preliminary December 2020 unemployment rates for metropolitan areas in the States. These rates were compared to December 2019.
Despite economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Watertown-Fort Drum metropolitan area saw a decrease in unemployment rates compared to the 2019 reported rate. The Watertown-Fort Drum area was the only area in the state to report any decrease in unemployment compared to the previous year.
The rates released on Tuesday are included below.
| Metro areas | December 2020 | December 2019 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | 6.3 | 6.9 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | 5.3 | 3.7 |
| Binghamton | 6.2 | 4.9 |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls | 7.5 | 4.7 |
| Dutchess-Putnam | 5.3 | 3.7 |
| Elmira | 6.7 | 4.5 |
| Glens Falls | 5.9 | 5.1 |
| Ithaca | 4.3 | 3.3 |
| Kingston | 5.4 | 3.8 |
| Nassau-Suffolk | 5.5 | 3.6 |
| New York City | 11.0 | 3.1 |
| Orange-Rockland-Westchester | 5.9 | 3.8 |
| Rochester | 6.5 | 4.4 |
| Syracuse | 6.4 | 4.5 |
| Utica-Rome | 6.4 | 4.7 |
| Non-metro counties | 6.1 | 5.1 |
Specific unemployment rates for North Country counties in December 2020 are also featured below.
| Rate | |
| Jefferson | 6.3% |
| Lewis | 6.0% |
| St. Lawrence | 5.9% |
According to the DOL, these rates are preliminary and subject to change. Rates are calculate using methods prescribed by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
All rates recorded are not seasonally adjusted.