New York's unemeployment rate hits 9%

ALBANY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV/AP) - New York's unemployment rate inched to 9 percent in October from 8.9 in September.

State labor department officials say that's the highest level since April 1983. The latest figures released Thursday showed a loss of 15,300 non-farm jobs in October.

 The rate in New York City remained steady at 10.3 percent.

Outside New York City, the lowest unemployment rate - 5.7 percent - was in Tompkins County. The highest rate was in Steuben County at 9.6 percent.

Locally, Onondaga County’s unemployment rate was at 8%. That number is lower than it was in September, but is more than 2% higher than October of 2008.

The Utica-Rome area’s unemployment was at 7.3%. That is unchanged since September, but is 2% higher than it was at this time last year.

The unemployment rate went up in every county in the Central New York area.

Here is a county-by-county breakdown of the unemployment rate:

	Oct 2009	Oct 2008
Cayuga	7.9%	5.6%
Cortland	8.4%	6.0%
Madison	7.3%	5.2%
Oneida	7.3%	5.4%
Oswego	7.9%	6.6%
Seneca	7.4%	5.0%
Tompkins	5.7%	4.2%