PHOENIX — The jobless rates in June in Graham and Greenlee counties climbed to their highest levels in five years.
That’s according to data released Thursday by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
The unemployment rate in Graham County increased by eight-tenths of a point in June, to 5.2 percent. The last time Graham’s unemployment rate was over 5 percent was July 2021, when it was 5.8 percent.
Greenlee County’s unemployment rate increased six-tenths of a percentage point in June, to 3.9 percent. That’s the highest Greenlee’s jobless rate has been since August 2021, when the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
Despite the increase, Greenlee is the only county in the state with a jobless rate under 4 percent, and it marks the 53rd month in a row that Greenlee had the state’s lowest unemployment, ahead of Maricopa County at 4.8 percent and Graham’s 5.2 percent.
The unemployment rate in Cochise County increased 1.1 percentage points in June, to 6.9 percent.
Arizona’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a point in June, to 4.9 percent, while the national unemployment decreased one-tenth of a point, to 4.2 percent.
Job gains were reported in seven economic sectors: Health care and social assistance (up 16,800 jobs); professional and business services (up 12,700 jobs); trade, transportation and utilities (up 6,100 jobs); private educational services (up 3,700 jobs); construction (up 2,300 jobs); natural resources and mining (up 1,400 jobs); and information (up 900 jobs).
Reporting job losses were government (down 6,500 jobs), leisure and hospitality (down 6,400 jobs), financial activities (down 3,800 jobs) and manufacturing (down 1,800 jobs).
