Archuleta County’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.2 percent in March, according to a May 6 report from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
That figure is down from 4.2 percent in February.
Archuleta County’s rate of 3.2 percent this March compares to 4.2 percent in March 2025.
Archuleta County’s labor force totaled 6,603 in March, according to the report, with 212 unemployed. That compares to a February labor force of 6,400 and 266 unemployed.
Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.9 percent in March.
According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 100 to 127,100 from February to March.
“Colorado’s labor force decreased by 10,600 in March to 3,227,900,” states a press release from the CDLE.
It notes the share of Coloradans participating in the labor force was 66.3 percent in March, three-tenths of a percentage point lower than in February.
The press release notes this marks the lowest labor force participation rate since August 2020.
“The U.S. labor force participation rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 61.9 percent in March,” it states.
The national unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.3 percent from February to March, it notes.
Costilla County again had the highest unemployment rate in the state in March at 6.9 percent, followed by Huerfano County at 6.4 percent.
The lowest unemployment rate in the state for March was Cheyenne County at 2.0 percent.
Regionally, the data shows La Plata County with a 3.3 percent unemployment rate in March, San Juan County at 3.9 percent, Mineral County at 3.7 percent, Rio Grande County at 4.1 percent and Conejos County at 3.5 percent.
Job loss, growth
Employers in Colorado gained 1,400 nonfarm payroll jobs from February to March for a total of 2,954,600 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private-sector payroll jobs increased by 1,300, while government increased by 100.
The release also notes, “February estimates were revised down to 2,953,200, and the over the month change from January to February was a decrease of 7,500 jobs rather than the originally estimated decrease of 7,200 (monthly revisions are based on additional responses from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates).”
Nonfarm payroll jobs estimates are based on a survey of business establishments and government agencies, and are intended to measure the number of jobs, not the number of people employed.
The private-industry sectors with significant over-the-month job gains in March were:
• Educational and health services by about 2,200 jobs.
• Leisure and hospitality by about 1,800.
There were no private industry sectors with significant over-the-month job losses.
Since March 2025, nonfarm payroll jobs have decreased by 8,800, with the private sector decreasing by 5,700 and government losing 3,100 jobs.
The largest private-sector job gains were:
• Educational and health services by about 16,000 jobs.
• Construction by about 1,700.
During that same period, payroll jobs declined in:
• Financial activities by about 4,500 jobs.
• Trade, transportation and utilities by about 4,300.
• Professional and business services by about 3,900.
• Information by about 3,900.
• Manufacturing by about 3,700.
• Other services by about 1,500.
• Mining and logging by about 1,000.
“Colorado’s rate of job growth over the past year is -0.3 percent, below the U.S. rate of 0.2 percent,” the report notes.
It further notes that, over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.5 to 33.4 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $39.32 to $39.82, $2.44 more than the national average hourly earnings of $37.38.
randi@pagosasun.com
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