Butler County seasonally adjusted jobless rate rises to 4.2%
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate for Butler County rose from 3.6% in July to 4.2% in August, according to data released Tuesday, Sept. 27, by the state Department of Labor and Industry.
All counties within the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) saw an increase to their seasonally adjusted rate from July to August.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh area remained steady over the past month, at 4.4% in August.
Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in at 4.2%, while the national rate was 3.7%.
Armstrong County saw the largest increase of its seasonally adjusted rate from 4.9% to 5.9%.
In August of last year, Butler County’s seasonally adjusted rate stood at 5.7%, with a civilian labor force of 98,300.
Butler County had the second-lowest seasonally adjusted rate in the Pittsburgh MSA, behind Allegheny County at 4%.
The county with the highest seasonally adjusted rate in the Pittsburgh area was Fayette County, at 6.5% — up from 6.2% in July.
From July to August, Butler County’s seasonally adjusted labor force gained 1,200 workers to 99,400 workers.
The East Stroudsburg MSA came in with the highest seasonally adjusted rate in Pennsylvania at 5.8%, while Gettysburg had the lowest at 3%.
Jobs rose during August in five of the 11 "super-sectors" in the Pittsburgh area — the broadest groups of industries.
Financial activities, professional and business services each added 1,000 jobs in August, while manufacturing, education and health services almost matched that gain with 900.
Professional and business services reached a record high level for the second month in a row, compared to records dating back to 1990.
Leisure and hospitality had seen a gain of 14,800 jobs in the past year, but saw a seasonal decline in August with a loss of 2,300 jobs.
