LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment in April was down, mirroring the drop in the overall California jobless rate.
The California Employment Development Department's latest report on unemployment showed that Lake County's April unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, down from a revised 7.3 percent in March and below the year-ago estimate of 7.5 percent.
It's the third month in a row that Lake County's unemployment has gone down, following the trend of an improving job picture in the spring that historical data shows has taken place over the past several years.
Statewide, California registered an April unemployment rate of 5.3, down from 5.4 percent in March and 6.5 percent in April 2015, the agency reported.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that for the same period the nationwide unemployment rate was 5.0, unchanged from March but down from April 2015's 5.4 percent.
The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,381,500 in April, an increase of 59,600 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 58,000 California businesses that measures jobs in the economy. From April 2015 to April 2016, there has been an increase of 450,200 jobs, or an increase of 2.8 percent.
A federal survey of 5,500 households showed an increase in the number of employed people, estimating that the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 18,071,000, an increase of
33,000 from March, and up 355,000 from the employment total in April of last year.
In April, Lake County's civilian workforce numbered 29,010 individuals with 1,930 unemployed, compared to 29,140 individuals and 2,120 unemployed in March. For comparison, the April 2015 workforce had 29,270 individuals, of which 2,180 were unemployed.
Lake County's farm industry showed a 2.3-percent job growth over the month, with nonfarm industries growing by a combined 0.9 percent, according to the report.
Under nonfarm, categories showing growth included goods producing, 2.7 percent; private, 1 percent; private service providing, 0.9 percent; and service providing, 0.7 percent.
The subcategory under nonfarm showing the largest growth was mining, logging or construction, which grew by 4.5 percent over the month, likely in response to Valley fire rebuilding and recovery efforts.
No categories in April showed drops in growth, but several – including information, financial activities and professional and business services – stayed flat.
Lake County's unemployment rate ranked it No. 32 out of California's 58 counties in April.
Having the lowest unemployment statewide was San Mateo County, with 2.9 percent, while Imperial had the highest, with 20.1 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that there were 398,005 people in California receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the April survey week, compared with 420,502 in March and 415,987 in April 2015.
New claims for Unemployment Insurance totaled 46,821 in April, compared with 44,305 in March and 47,462 in April of last year, the report said.
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.