Economy
Unemployment Rate
Description: The unemployment rate is a standard measure of economic well-being. Annual average unemployment rates are presented on the Economic and Demographic Indicators dashboard since 2000 for the United States, Arizona, and the 15 Arizona counties. The unemployment rate is released monthly three weeks after the end of each month, with revisions made after each year. Data for earlier years are available from the source.
Data Source: Arizona Department of Economic Security, Research Administration http://www.workforce.az.gov/?PAGEID=67&SUBID=142 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Comments on the Quality of the Data: The unemployment rate may not be a good measure of economic distress since it does not include those individuals too discouraged to even look for a job. The unemployment rate is estimated from data collected in a household survey (the Current Population Survey). Since the margin of error in this survey is very large for states and counties, considerable caution is urged in using these data.
