St. Lawrence County’s jobless rate up to 10.3%, remains highest in state outside NYC

St. Lawrence County’s unemployment rate remains the highest among counties in the state outside of New York City.

That rate crept up in July, as did those in counties to the east and west, in spite of the highest rate of job creation in the state in five years, according to state Labor Department statistics released today.

The Labor Department puts the county’s unemployment rate for July at 10.3 percent, up from 10.1 percent in June and a half a point above July last year, when it was at 9.8 percent.

In the state, only in the Bronx (13 percent) and Kings County (10.5 percent) were the rates higher.

To the west, Jefferson County’s unemployment rate remained lower but had similar increases: 8.3 percent for July, 8.1 percent in June, compared with 7.8 percent in July 2009.

To the east, in Franklin County, the unemployment rate increased slightly, standing at 8.0 percent in July compared with 7.9 percent in June and 7.9 percent last July.

The Labor Department says 29,000 private sector jobs were added in the last month statewide, the largest increase in job numbers since April 2005.

The statewide unemployment rate was steady at 8.2 percent for July and June.