Archuleta County’s unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent in March after rising to 5.4 percent in February, according to a recent report from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
Archuleta County’s rate of 4.5 percent in March compares to 4.0 percent in March 2024.
Archuleta County’s labor force totaled 6,901 in March, according to the report, with 310 unemployed. That compares to a February labor force of 6,735 and 364 unemployed.
Colorado’s unemployment rate rose from 4.7 percent to 4.8 percent for the month.
According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals in Colorado increased by 1,200 to 156,500 from February to March. The state’s labor force decreased by 2,400 in March to 3,280,800. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force decreased to 67.8 percent in March, compared to 67.9 percent the month prior.
Costilla County continued to have the highest unemployment rate in the state in March at 7.6 percent, with Huerfano following at 7.3 percent.
Regionally, the data shows La Plata County with a 4.6 percent unemployment rate in March, San Juan County at 4.2 percent, Mineral County at 5.8 percent, Rio Grande County at 5.2 percent and Conejos County at 5.0 percent.
The national unemployment rate also increased by one-tenth of a percentage point from February to March to land at 4.2 percent, the report indicates. The U.S. labor force participation rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 62.5 percent in March.
Job growth
Employers in Colorado gained 6,800 nonfarm payroll jobs from February to March for a total of 2,972,800 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private-sector payroll jobs increased by 5,800, while government added 1,000 jobs.
The press release accompanying the report notes, “February estimates were revised down to 2,966,000, and the over the month change from January to February was a decrease of 11,600 jobs rather than the originally estimated decrease of 8,900 (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 in trade, transportation and utilities at about 7,700 (partially reflecting the return of workers from a strike within the retail sector), and professional and business services at about 1,000.
The private-industry sectors with significant over-the-month job losses were in education and health services at about 2,400 jobs, and leisure and hospitality at about 1,800.
Since March 2024, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 2,300, with the private sector declining by 11,500 and government adding 13,800 jobs, according to the report.
The largest private-sector job gains were in educational and health services at about 1,500, and leisure and hospitality at about 1,400.
During that same period, payroll jobs declined in professional and business services by about 8,400 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities at about 1,900; information at about 1,300; financial activities at about 1,300; construction at about 1,100; and other services at about 1,100.
“Colorado’s rate of job growth over the past year is 0.1 percent, below the U.S. rate of 1.2 percent,” the press release states.
Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased from 32.8 to 33.5 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $37.74 to $39.20 — $3.20 more than the national average hourly earnings of $36.
randi@pagosasun.com
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