Washington, Greene jobless rates decline
Local unemployment rates dropped significantly in June, to 6.0 percent in Washington County — a dip of four-tenths of a point from May — and to 7.3 percent in Greene, down from 7.9.
That was the second consecutive monthly decrease for each county, according to seasonally adjusted figures released this morning by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. The June rates were well above those from a year earlier — seven-tenths of a percentage point above Washington’s 5.3 figure and 1.5 points above Greene’s rate of 5.8.
The jobless rate for the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area was 5.5 percent, down two-tenths of a point from May. The seven-county MSA is composed of Washington, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland. Butler (4.9) had the lowest rate in the MSA, Fayette (8.0) the highest.
Both local counties were above the national (4.9) and Pennsylvania (5.6) jobless figures.