CNY regions report lower jobless rates in June 2025

The unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions were all lower in June 2025 compared to a year ago. That’s according to the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released on July 22.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 3.2 percent in June 2025 from 3.6 percent in June 2024. Around the region, the Utica–Rome region’s rate dipped to 3.4 percent from 3.6 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s number fell to 3.4 percent from 3.7 percent; the Binghamton region’s jobless rate slipped to 3.6 percent from 3.8 percent; the Ithaca area’s unemployment number declined to 3.2 percent from 3.8 percent; and the Elmira region’s jobless rate improved to 3.3 percent this June from 3.7 percent in the same month a year earlier. The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires. The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.

State unemployment rate

New York state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.0 percent this June, compared to May, according to preliminary figures that NYSDOL released. At the same time, New York State’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) decreased by 900. The statewide labor-force participation rate dipped from 61.0 percent in May of this year to 60.9 percent in June 2025. New York’s 4.0 percent unemployment rate was lower than the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in June. The June statewide unemployment figure of 4.0 percent was also lower than the 4.3 percent rate reported in June 2024, according to department figures. The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.