LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment rose slightly in January, while state and national rates improved, according to a new report from the California Employment Development Department.
Lake County's unemployment rate in January was 11.8 percent, up from a revised rate of 11.1 percent in December but down from the 14.7-percent rate in January 2013, the report said.
Statewide, California's January unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, down from 8.3 percent in December and 9.5 percent in January 2014. The state's unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nationwide unemployment in January decreased to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in December, and is down from the 7.9-percent rate in January 2013.
The Employment Development Department reported that nonfarm jobs in California totaled 15,292,000 in January, a decrease of 31,600 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 California businesses that measures jobs in the economy.
The year-over-year change, January 2013 to January 2014, showed an increase of 319,500 jobs, an increase of 2.1 percent, the agency reported.
The federal survey of households estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in January was 17,068,000, an increase of 50,000 from December 2013, and up 219,000 from the employment total in January of last year, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said the number of people unemployed in California was 1,503,000, down by 29,000 over the month, and down by 268,000 compared with January of last year.
In January, Marin had lowest unemployment rate, 4.7 percent, with Colusa's 25.9 percent rate the highest in the state, the report said.
Lake County's 11.8-percent rate earned it a statewide ranking of No. 38.
In January Lake County had a 15.5-percent growth in farm jobs, with educational and health services up 0.2 percent, and wholesale trade and other services showing no growth, based on the report. All other sectors showed losses, with the largest being the -12.5 percent for durable goods.
Lake's neighboring counties ranked as follows in January, according to the Employment Development Department: Colusa, No. 58, 25.9 percent; Glenn, No. 43, 13 percent; Mendocino, No. 17, 7.8 percent; Napa, No. 8, 6.4 percent; Sonoma, No. 6, 6.2 percent; and Yolo, No. 31, 10.6 percent.
In other unemployment-related data, the Employment Development Department reported that there were 495,273 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the January 2014 survey week, compared with 504,558 last month and 519,632 last year.
At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 73,040 in January 2014, compared with 73,458 in December and 68,907 in January of last year, the Employment Development Department reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.