Pittsburgh Unemployment Rate at 7.8 Percent In August

Unemployment in the Pittsburgh area rose in August, but stayed below the statewide and national figures, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor and Industry.

The seven-county Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area saw a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 7.8 percent last month, up a tenth of a percentage point from July, and an increase of 2.5 percentage points from August 2008.

Pittsburgh still trails the national average unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, and the Pennsylvania rate of 8.6 percent, the state said.

Of the 14 metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh's unemployment rate ranked sixth-lowest, the same place it fell in the July report. Erie's was highest in August, at 9.6 percent, and State College's was lowest at 6.0 percent.

The number of employed people in the Pittsburgh area was down year-over-year by 32,700 in August, to 1.12 million.

The Pittsburgh metropolitan area includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties. All data is seasonally adjusted.

The county-by-county seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Pittsburgh's MSA break down as follows:

Allegheny:

• August 2008: 5.0 percent
• August 2009: 7.2 percent

Armstrong:

• August 2008: 5.9 percent
• August 2009: 9.6 percent

Beaver:

• August 2008: 5.8 percent
• August 2009: 9.0 percent

Butler:

• August 2008: 4.9 percent
• August 2009: 7.6 percent

Fayette:

• August 2008: 6.9 percent
• August 2009: 9.8 percent

Washington:

• August 2008: 5.5 percent
• August 2009: 8.1 percent

Westmoreland:

• August 2008: 5.5 percent
• August 2009: 8.3 percent