Corridor jobless rate falls in May

May was a kinder month for unemployment in the Corridor.

The jobless rate fell to 6.4 percent in May from an April rate of 7 percent in the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The number of workers counted as jobless declined by 900.

The unemployment rate in the Iowa City MSA fell from 4.8 percent to 4.4 percent. Unemployment in the Iowa City metro fell by 300.

Unemployment rates fell in all counties that are part of the two metro areas. Large drops were seen in Jones County (from 7.3 percent to 6.1 percent) and Benton County (from 7.3 percent to 6.4 percent). The Linn County jobless rate declined from 6.9 percent to 6.4 percent.

The Johnson County jobless rate declined from 4.7 percent to 4.3 percent, while the Washington County jobless rate dipped from 5.7 to 5.2 percent.

None of the local unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted. The seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for Iowa in May was 6.8 percent, down from 6.9 percent in April.