The latest labor figures show an increase in unemployment rates Ansonia and Derby, a leveling off of unemployment rates in Seymour and Oxford, and a decrease in unemployment rates in Shelton last month.
This chart looks at unemployment rates in the five Valley towns over the past decade.
An analysis of the most recent rates — for the month of June 2010 — is at the end of this article.
All data comes from the Connecticut Department of Labor Office of Research.
How To Read The Motion Chart
Each bubble on the chart represents a Valley town.
Move your mouse over a bubble to see which town is yours. You can also make the bubbles different colors by clicking the boxes on the right side.
The chart lists the unemployment rate on the left. The labor rate is on the bottom.
To view the animation, click the large play button on the bottom left-hand corner of the graphic.
The unemployment rate timeline will move forward, year-by-year.
The Data
The information provided in the chart represents the average unemployment rates for each year. For 2010, the rate represents the average percentage for January through June, the most up-to-date figures available.
What’s it mean?
Between 1994 and 2010, the unemployment rate in the five Valley towns has fluctuated, according to the data, provided by the Connecticut Department of Labor Office of Research databases.
Since 2007, the unemployment rates in the Valley steadily increased, until reaching record levels this year.
For example, in February, Derby had the highest unemployment rate in the area, at 11.4 percent. Ansonia reached 11 percent unemployment during that same month.
Over the past 14 years, the rate has generally followed the same pattern as the statewide numbers, with Derby and Ansonia consistently registering at higher unemployment rates than the state average, and Shelton and Oxford registering with lower unemployment rates.
Seymour has stayed close to the state average throughout that time.
Latest Figures
The most recent data provided by the State Department of Labor is from the end of June 2010.
The change over May’s data varied for each Valley town.
In Ansonia the unemployment rate reached its highest point all year — 11.1 percent. Two months prior, the unemployment rate had dropped to 9.7 percent, but it started increasing again in May.
Derby also saw an increase in its unemployment rate — from 9.8 percent in April to 10.1 percent in May. In June, Derby’s unemployment rate was 10.2 percent.
Oxford’s rate has stayed about the same since April, at about 6.5 percent.
In Seymour the unemployment rate is hovering around 9 percent. In June, there was 9.1 percent unemployment, while in May the rate was 8.8 percent.
Shelton has seen a steady, slight decrease in the percentage of unemployed workers.
In January, the unemployment rate in Shelton was 8.7 percent. It has slowly decreased to June’s rate of 7.5 percent.
