Archuleta County’s unemployment rate fell to 2.8 percent in December 2025, according to a Jan. 7 report from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
That figured is down from 3.1 percent in November 2025.
Archuleta County’s rate of 2.8 percent in December 2025 compares to 4.3 percent in December 2024.
Archuleta County’s labor force totaled 6,818 in December 2025, according to the report, with 193 unemployed. That compares to a November labor force of 6,737 and 209 unemployed.
Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.9 percent in November 2025 to 3.8 percent in December 2025.
According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 2,000 to 123,800 from November to December 2025.
“Colorado’s labor force decreased by 3,300 in December to 3,259,400,” states a press release from the CDLE. “The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force was 66.9 percent in December, one-tenth of a percentage point lower than in November, this marks the lowest labor force participation rate since October 2020. The U.S. labor force participation rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 62.4 percent in December.”
The national unemployment rate decreased to 4.4 percent from November to December 2025, it notes.
Costilla County again had the highest unemployment rate in the state in December 2025 at 7.1 percent, followed by Huerfano County at 5.7percent.
The lowest unemployment rate in the state for December 2025 was Yuma County at 1.8 percent.
Regionally, the data shows La Plata County with a 3.1 percent unemployment rate in December 2025, San Juan County at 4.9 percent, Mineral County at 4.1 percent, Rio Grande County at 3.9 percent and Conejos County at 3.5 percent.
Job loss, growth
Employers in Colorado gained 1,200 nonfarm payroll jobs from November to December 2025 for a total of 3,000,100 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private-sector payroll jobs increased by 300 and government gained 900 jobs.
The press release accompanying the report notes the November 2025 estimates “were revised down to 2,998,900, and the over the month change from October to November was an increase of 1,300 jobs rather than the originally estimated increase of 2,700 (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 sector with significant over-the-month job gains in December 2025 were:
• Education and health services at about 2,800 jobs.
• Manufacturing at about 1,400.
The private-industry sectors with significant over-the-month job losses were:
• Leisure and hospitality at about 2,300 jobs.
• Trade, transportation and utilities at about 1,800.
Since December 2024, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 23,000, with the private sector increasing by 18,900 and government adding 4,100 jobs.
The largest private-sector job gains were:
• Financial activities by about 3,300.
• Construction by about 2,100.
• Trade, transportation and utilities at about 1,800.
“Colorado’s rate of job growth over the past year is 0.8 percent, above the U.S. rate of 0.4 percent,” the report notes.
It further notes that, over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.7 to 32.5 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $39.67 to $40.65, $3.63 more than the national average hourly earnings of $37.02.
randi@pagosasun.com
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