Florida's Unemployment Rate is Lowest Since August 2009, But Miami-Dade's Rises Again

​The unemployment rate in Florida has fallen for the fifth straight month in May, mirroring a national trend. Unfortunately, there isn't much to celebrate in Miami-Dade. The local unemployment rate rose once again by 0.5 percent and is now the second highest unemployment rate of any county in Florida.

The Florida unemployment rate now sits at 10.6 percent. That's the lowest level since August 2009 when it was also 10.9 percent. Still that represents about 980,000 out-of-work people in Florida's 9,249,000 person strong labor force.

Miami-Dade's unemployment rate was a staggering 13.7 percent in May, up from 13.2 percent in April. The number is also up from a year ago when the unemployment rate in the county was 12.1 percent. Even when Miami-Dade's rate is seasonally adjusted it still sits at 13.4 percent.

That means about 180,993 in the county are out of work. Miami-Dade has a labor force of 1,323,042.

It's the second highest rate in Florida, only behind Flagler County. Monroe County, our neighbor to the south, meanwhile has the lowest unemployment rate in the state, sitting at 6.2 percent.

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