Delaware’s unemployment rate is lower again in December.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell last month from 3.9% in November to 3.7%
The rate was lower than both the national rate in December and Delaware’s rate in December 2023 - both of which were 4.1%.
Area unemployment rates were either steady or higher with only Wilmington and New Castle County staying at the same rate. Those rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The number of unemployed Delawareans last month was 18,800 - also lower than a year ago when it was 20,900.
Delaware’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment was at 489,100 in December 2024, down from the previous month when it was 489,500.
Despite last month’s drop, that number has seen a net gain of 2,200 since December 2023 - 0.5% increase. Jobs have increased nationally in that same period by 1.4%.
Financial Activities and Private Education and Health were the biggest drivers in the loss of jobs, while the Leisure and Hospitality industry saw the largest improvement last month.
One negative is that the total number of workers in Delaware’s labor force fell to 502,700, that’s the 14th month in a row it has declined, and it’s 7,000 fewer than last year.
That number is seasonally adjusted.
