Counties in New York by unemployment rate

Hamilton County had the highest unemployment rate of 62 counties in March 2026, at 7.5%. Tompkins County had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 4.5% and the figure for New York was 4.6%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7.5Hamilton County
Median4.562 counties
New York4.6History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Hamilton CountyHamilton County: 7.5 %7.5Bronx CountyBronx County: 6.6 %6.6Lewis CountyLewis County: 6 %6Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.7 %5.7Schuyler CountySchuyler County: 5.6 %5.6Herkimer CountyHerkimer County: 5.3 %5.3Schoharie CountySchoharie County: 5.3 %5.3Niagara CountyNiagara County: 5.2 %5.2Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 5.2 %5.2Allegany CountyAllegany County: 5.1 %5.1Chautauqua CountyChautauqua County: 5.1 %5.1Cortland CountyCortland County: 5.1 %5.1Delaware CountyDelaware County: 5 %5Kings CountyKings County: 5 %5Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 5 %5St. Lawrence CountySt. Lawrence County: 5 %5Cattaraugus CountyCattaraugus County: 4.9 %4.9Franklin CountyFranklin County: 4.9 %4.9Fulton CountyFulton County: 4.9 %4.9Orleans CountyOrleans County: 4.9 %4.9Otsego CountyOtsego County: 4.9 %4.9Oswego CountyOswego County: 4.8 %4.8Steuben CountySteuben County: 4.8 %4.8Warren CountyWarren County: 4.8 %4.8Essex CountyEssex County: 4.7 %4.7Livingston CountyLivingston County: 4.6 %4.6Madison CountyMadison County: 4.6 %4.6Broome CountyBroome County: 4.5 %4.5New York CountyNew York County: 4.5 %4.5Seneca CountySeneca County: 4.5 %4.5Washington CountyWashington County: 4.5 %4.5Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.5 %4.5Clinton CountyClinton County: 4.4 %4.4Erie CountyErie County: 4.4 %4.4Greene CountyGreene County: 4.4 %4.4Queens CountyQueens County: 4.4 %4.4Chenango CountyChenango County: 4.3 %4.3Sullivan CountySullivan County: 4.3 %4.3Tioga CountyTioga County: 4.3 %4.3Cayuga CountyCayuga County: 4.2 %4.2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Hamilton County7.5+0.9 pts
2Bronx County6.6+0.4 pts
3Lewis County6+0.6 pts
4Jefferson County5.7+0.5 pts
5Schuyler County5.6+0.3 pts
6Herkimer County5.3+0.6 pts
6Schoharie County5.3+0.8 pts
8Niagara County5.2+0.5 pts
8Wyoming County5.2+0.5 pts
10Allegany County5.1+0.5 pts
10Chautauqua County5.1+0.5 pts
10Cortland County5.1+0.5 pts
13Delaware County5+0.4 pts
13Kings County5+0.2 pts
13Montgomery County5+0.4 pts
13St. Lawrence County5+0.2 pts
17Cattaraugus County4.9+0.4 pts
17Franklin County4.90 pts
17Fulton County4.9+0.6 pts
17Orleans County4.9+0.4 pts
17Otsego County4.9+0.3 pts
22Oswego County4.8+0.3 pts
22Steuben County4.8+0.4 pts
22Warren County4.8+0.4 pts
25Essex County4.7+0.5 pts
26Livingston County4.6+0.4 pts
26Madison County4.6+0.3 pts
28Broome County4.5+0.2 pts
28New York County4.5+0.2 pts
28Seneca County4.5+0.2 pts
28Washington County4.5+0.5 pts
28Wayne County4.5+0.5 pts
33Clinton County4.4+0.1 pts
33Erie County4.4+0.3 pts
33Greene County4.4+0.5 pts
33Queens County4.4+0.1 pts
37Chenango County4.3+0.3 pts
37Sullivan County4.3+0.4 pts
37Tioga County4.3+0.3 pts
40Cayuga County4.20 pts
40Chemung County4.20 pts
40Genesee County4.2+0.4 pts
40Monroe County4.2+0.5 pts
40Oneida County4.2+0.2 pts
40Richmond County4.2+0.1 pts
40Schenectady County4.2+0.4 pts
47Rensselaer County4.1+0.5 pts
47Yates County4.1+0.2 pts
49Columbia County4+0.4 pts
49Ontario County4+0.2 pts
49Orange County4+0.2 pts
49Ulster County4+0.3 pts
53Onondaga County3.9+0.3 pts
53Suffolk County3.9+0.3 pts
55Albany County3.6+0.3 pts
55Dutchess County3.6+0.3 pts
55Westchester County3.6+0.3 pts
58Nassau County3.5+0.3 pts
59Saratoga County3.4+0.2 pts
60Putnam County3.3+0.2 pts
60Rockland County3.3+0.1 pts
60Tompkins County3.30 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Hamilton County, with 7.5% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Tompkins County, with 3.3% in March 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in New York: more rankings