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Person sitting at a laptop computer with a screen titled "Job Search"

Colorado unemployment steady in February

© iStock - fizkes

Employers in Colorado added 700 nonfarm payroll jobs from January to February for a total of 2,749,600 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased 1,200 and government decreased 500. January estimates were revised down to 2,748,900, and the over the month change from December to January was an increase of 2,000 rather than the originally estimated increase of 2,400.

According to the survey of households, the unemployment rate was unchanged from January to February at 3.7 percent. The number of people actively participating in the labor force increased 3,800 over the month to 3,138,900 and the number of people reporting themselves as employed increased 5,300 to 3,023,600, causing the number of unemployed to decrease 1,500. Due to rounding, the unemployment rate was unchanged from January at 3.7 percent. The national unemployment rate decreased two-tenths of a percentage point in February to 3.8 percent.

Over the year, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.3 to 33.1 hours and average hourly earnings increased from $28.42 to $29.93.

The largest over the month private sector job gains were in professional and business services and financial activities. The largest over the month decline was in leisure and hospitality.

Over the year, nonfarm payroll jobs increased 44,800, with an increase of 41,900 in the private sector and an increase of 2,900 in government. The largest private sector job gains were in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation, and utilities. Financial activities declined over the year.

Over the year, the unemployment rate is up eight-tenths of a percentage point from 2.9 percent. The number of Coloradans participating in the labor force increased 84,400, total employment increased 56,900 and the number of unemployed increased 27,500. The national unemployment rate declined from 4.1 percent in February 2018 to 3.8 percent in February 2018.

Not Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force

 

February 2019

 

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment

Rate

Colorado

3,132,580

3,022,980

109,600

3.5

Counties

 

 

 

 

Adams

273,319

262,935

10,384

3.8

Alamosa 

8,237

7,837

400

4.9

Arapahoe 

367,332

355,086

12,246

3.3

Archuleta 

6,690

6,398

292

4.4

Baca 

2,034

1,988

46

2.3

Bent 

1,863

1,785

78

4.2

Boulder

198,657

192,935

5,722

2.9

Broomfield

40,300

39,104

1,196

3.0

Chaffee

9,413

9,101

312

3.3

Cheyenne 

1,026

1,005

21

2.0

Clear Creek 

6,124

5,948

176

2.9

Conejos

3,910

3,686

224

5.7

Costilla 

1,826

1,713

113

6.2

Crowley 

1,507

1,422

85

5.6

Custer 

1,978

1,908

70

3.5

Delta 

14,276

13,610

666

4.7

Denver 

418,509

404,278

14,231

3.4

Dolores 

1,129

1,085

44

3.9

Douglas 

193,508

187,872

5,636

2.9

Eagle

38,717

37,723

994

2.6

El Paso 

340,423

326,283

14,140

4.2

Elbert 

14,856

14,423

433

2.9

Fremont

15,031

14,092

939

6.2

Garfield

33,575

32,347

1,228

3.7

Gilpin 

3,780

3,673

107

2.8

Grand 

10,538

10,256

282

2.7

Gunnison 

11,154

10,835

319

2.9

Hinsdale 

380

368

12

3.2

Huerfano 

2,465

2,245

220

8.9

Jackson 

927

895

32

3.5

Jefferson

338,453

327,690

10,763

3.2

Kiowa 

848

830

18

2.1

Kit Carson 

4,100

4,010

90

2.2

La Plata

31,330

30,164

1,166

3.7

Lake 

5,266

5,127

139

2.6

Larimer

205,449

199,160

6,289

3.1

Las Animas 

6,522

6,180

342

5.2

Lincoln 

2,400

2,335

65

2.7

Logan

10,838

10,491

347

3.2

Mesa

77,630

74,031

3,599

4.6

Mineral 

563

551

12

2.1

Moffat

7,686

7,290

396

5.2

Montezuma 

13,036

12,171

865

6.6

Montrose

21,717

20,720

997

4.6

Morgan

16,020

15,486

534

3.3

Otero 

8,318

7,834

484

5.8

Ouray 

2,259

2,166

93

4.1

Park 

10,973

10,596

377

3.4

Phillips 

2,355

2,306

49

2.1

Pitkin

11,586

11,281

305

2.6

Prowers 

5,906

5,693

213

3.6

Pueblo

76,308

72,334

3,974

5.2

Rio Blanco 

2,713

2,551

162

6.0

Rio Grande

5,259

4,952

307

5.8

Routt

17,207

16,765

442

2.6

Saguache

3,406

3,235

171

5.0

San Juan 

455

434

21

4.6

San Miguel 

6,014

5,871

143

2.4

Sedgwick 

1,140

1,110

30

2.6

Summit

24,763

24,291

472

1.9

Teller 

12,812

12,292

520

4.1

Washington 

3,044

2,975

69

2.3

Weld

166,911

161,545

5,366

3.2

Yuma 

5,807

5,677

130

2.2

 

 

LABOR FORCE SUMMARY

COLORADO

Preliminary Estimates for February 2019

  

       

   

LABOR FORCE DATA

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED:                                   

 

 

Change from last:

 

Feb-19

Jan-19

Feb-18

Month

Year

Total Civilian Labor Force

3,138.9

3,135.1

3,054.5

3.8

84.4

Unemployment     

115.2

116.8

87.8

-1.5

27.5

     Unemployment Rate (%)

3.7

3.7

2.9

0.0

0.8

 Employment

3,023.6

3,018.3

2,966.7

5.3

56.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNADJUSTED FOR SEASONALITY:

 

 

 

Change from last:

 

Feb-19

Jan-19

Feb-18

Month

Year

Total Civilian Labor Force

3,132.6

3,119.0

3,055.0

13.6

77.6

Unemployment 

109.6

132.4

98.2

-22.8

11.4

     Unemployment Rate (%)

3.5

4.2

3.2

-0.7

0.3

 Employment 

3,023.0

2,986.6

2,956.8

36.4

66.2

      

WAGE AND SALARY EMPLOYMENT DATA

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED:

 

 

 

Change from last:

 

Feb-19

Jan-19

Feb-18

Month

Year

Mining & Logging

28.6

28.7

27.7

-0.1

0.9

Construction

174.2

174.8

170.9

-0.6

3.3

Manufacturing

148.5

148.5

146.4

0.0

2.1

Trade, Transportation, & Utilities

474.4

474.6

467.2

-0.2

7.2

Information

74.6

74.3

74.3

0.3

0.3

Financial Activities

168.1

166.8

170.5

1.3

-2.4

Professional & Business Services

434.6

433.2

419.5

1.4

15.1

Educational & Health Services

343.5

343.1

339.1

0.4

4.4

Leisure & Hospitality

344.6

345.7

337.4

-1.1

7.2

Other Services

113.1

113.3

109.3

-0.2

3.8

Government

445.4

445.9

442.5

-0.5

2.9

TOTAL NONAG

2,749.6

2,748.9

2,704.8

0.7

44.8

Labor Disputants

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNADJUSTED FOR SEASONALITY:

 

  

Change from last:

 

Feb-19

Jan-19

Feb-18

Month

Year

Mining & Logging

28.5

28.7

27.5

-0.2

1.0

Construction

168.3

166.1

164.6

2.2

3.7

Manufacturing

147.8

147.4

145.1

0.4

2.7

Trade, Transportation, & Utilities

468.9

472.4

461.4

-3.5

7.5

Information

74.3

73.8

74.5

0.5

-0.2

Financial Activities

167.2

165.6

170.0

1.6

-2.8

Professional & Business Services

428.4

423.6

411.2

4.8

17.2

Educational & Health Services

344.1

342.3

338.9

1.8

5.2

Leisure & Hospitality

341.5

344.3

333.9

-2.8

7.6

Other Services

112.2

112.4

108.4

-0.2

3.8

Government

448.3

434.9

444.3

13.4

4.0

TOTAL NONAG

2,729.5

2,711.5

2,679.8

18.0

49.7

Labor Disputants

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0