City, State Unemployment Rates FallNew York state and city unemployment rates fell last month and with both below the national average. For the city, the rate is 8.7 percent, more than full percentage point lower than a year ago. Employers in the education and health sectors and in professional services hired the most people over the past year. Government sector jobs continue to shrink. In New Jersey, the unemployment rate increased slightly, to 9.3 percent.
