unemployment

The good news in the report included sizable decreases in unemployment some of the state's major energy-producing counties in a year-over-year comparison.

Economist David Bullard said the fact that the state's big energy producing counties have seen the biggest drops in unemployment over the past year bodes well for the overall state economy.

Natrona and Campbell counties have each seen their unemployment rate drop by a full percentage point over the past year, according to the report.

The report also shows the mining sector of the economy, which includes oil and gas jobs, doing better.

The jobless rate was down by half a percentage point in a year-over-year comparison.

The state's three biggest energy-producing counties have all seen their unemployment rates drop by over two percentage points over the past year.

The state unemployment rate has dropped significantly over the past year, but those numbers are not as positive as they seem.

Wyoming's unemployment rate is quite a bit lower than it was this time last year, but the state labor force is also 2.6 percent smaller.

While the state unemployment rate is down significantly compared to a year ago, so is the size of the state's labor force.

The decline in unemployment is balanced by the fact fewer people are working in Wyoming.