The latest Colorado jobs report shows some communities across the state still struggle with high unemployment.
State economists say for the past four months, Colorado’s unemployment rate has stayed at 4.2 percent. That figure is still below the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent.
Alexandra Hall is chief economist for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
"The labor force in Colorado is continuing to grow and the number of people employed are continuing to grow," Hall says.
She says the state as a whole achieved recovery from the Great Recession two years ago.
"But some areas along the Front Range and of course Grand Junction lag [behind] the state [average]," Hall says.
The most recent jobs report shows, Huerfano County has the highest employment rate in Colorado at 9.6 percent.
On the Western Slope, Delta County’s unemployment rate is 6.9 percent. And in Mesa and Montrose counties, it’s 6.2 percent.
Those numbers aren't seasonally adjusted, but Hall says they're still well above the state average.
"I think it’s even more informative to look at how those areas have changed over the year and all of those areas have actually improved considerably," she says.
