Pennsylvania's unemployment rate in April fell to the lowest in 47 years

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate in April fell to the lowest it has been since January 1976, the lowest rate on record, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Labor & Industry.

From March, Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1% in April.

Local data for the same period won’t be released until May 30. Nonfarm jobs in Lancaster County were up 900 in March over February to an all-time record high of 266,700, the state reported earlier this month. The county’s unemployment rate for March was 2.7%, the second lowest in the state, not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations.

Statewide, total nonfarm jobs continue to rise and hit a record high in April, the fourth month in a row for a record high. Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were up 11,000 over the month to a new record high of 6,117,100 in April.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was up 4,000 over the month. Resident employment rose by 13,000 over the month and unemployment fell by 8,000.