The unemployment rate during the last year dropped 1 percent in Chautauqua County.

In August 2017, the unemployment rate in the county was 5.5 percent. In August, the rate was 4.5 percent.

The drop in the county’s unemployment rate correlates with what is happening nationally and statewide. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in August 2017. In August, it was 3.9 percent, a drop during the last year of .6 percent.

The state unemployment rate last August was 4.9 percent. In August, it was 4.1 percent, a .8 percent decrease during the last year.

The rates are calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the current population survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in the state each month.

From August 2017 to August, the state’s private sector job count increased by 123,100. In August, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 8,181,100. The state’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers, which is conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.