Carson City bests Reno and Vegas for January job growth
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 2:27pm
January job growth in Carson City grew by 2.2 percent over January 2019 figures, giving the capital city the distinction of having the fastest job growth for the month compared to Reno and Las Vegas, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
According to the state agency's January 2020 economic report, statewide, jobs increased by 1.6 percent, a gain of 22,800 new jobs added since January last year. Similarly, Nevada’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) all showed growth when compared to last year, with all three MSAs having faster employment growth rates than the national rate of 1.4 percent.
The Reno MSA added jobs at the rate of 1.6 percent when compared to January 2019. Las Vegas grew by 1.9 percent and Carson City had the fastest rate of 2.2 percent.
These percentage changes represent an increase of 700 jobs in Carson City, 19,800 jobs in Las Vegas, and 4,000 in Reno, according to the report.
January’s unemployment rates showed decreases compared to January 2019 in all three areas: 3.4 percent in Reno, 3.9 percent in Las Vegas, and 4.1 percent in Carson City.
When compared to December 2019, unemployment rates in all MSAs, cities, and counties, except Esmeralda county, increased. However, unemployment rates in the state’s local areas are not adjusted for seasonal trends, an important distinction for this time of year.
The post-holiday season sees the highest seasonal unemployment of the year, and even these rates are still very low and in line with expected seasonal trends.
“Last week we reported the state’s historically low unemployment rate. This report highlights how that low level of unemployment extends to every local area in the state. Every county has seen its unemployment rate fall over the year, and the most improvement has been seen in the areas that had the highest unemployment rates a year ago," said David Schmidt, Chief Economist for DETR. "This month, unemployment is at or below five percent in every county in the state, despite January having the highest seasonal unemployment of the year."
Despite low unemployment rates overall, some groups within the state still experience persistently high rates of unemployment, including the youngest, poorest, and least-educated workers in the state. This report also highlights services that DETR provides to help connect job seekers with meaningful employment, said Schmidt.
Additional January 2020 Economic Report Highlights. Job Growth (Seasonally-Adjusted):
Carson City increased 500 jobs over the month, and is up 700 jobs over the year (2.2 percent).
Reno added 1,000 jobs over the month and 4,000 over the year (1.6 percent).
Las Vegas is up 2,500 jobs over the month and is up 19,800 over the year (1.9 percent).
All three of the metro areas have employment growth rates higher than the national growth rate of 1.4 percent.
Job Growth by Sector (Not Seasonally-Adjusted):
Carson City added 200 goods-producing jobs over the year and 400 service-providing jobs.
Reno lost 600 goods-producing jobs over the year but added 5,800 service-providing jobs.
Las Vegas added 7,500 goods-producing jobs over the year and added 10,500 service-providing jobs.
Unemployment (Not Seasonally-Adjusted):
Carson City: 4.1 percent, increased 0.7 percentage point from December, and down 0.9 percentage point from a year ago.
Reno: 3.4 percent; up 0.6 percentage point from December, down 0.6 percentage from January last year.
Las Vegas: 3.9 percent; up 0.4 percentage point from December, and down 0.8 percentage point from January last year.
Since January 2019, all our counties unemployment rates decreased.
When looking at changes since December 2019 16 out of 17 counties had increases in their unemployment rates; with Esmeralda county decreasing by 0.4 percentage point.
Eureka county has the states lowest unemployment rate at 2.3 percent, while Lyon county had the highest at 5.0 percent.
On a city level Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Sparks, and Reno had decreases in unemployment on an annual basis.
Additionally, Boulder City, Elko City, Fernley City, and Mesquite City also had decreases compared to January 2019.
