Sonoma's Unemployment Rate Slighly Lower Than County's

Sonoma's unemployment rate was slightly lower than Sonoma County's — dipping to 7.3 percent in November, compared with 8.9 countywide, according to recent data released by the Economic Development Department.

Local unemployment was 10.1 percent in July, a drop of 1.3 percent in just five months. A breakdown of jobless rates broken down by Sonoma County cities shows a similar trend. Cotati's unemployment rate came in at 9.4 percent, Healdsburg at 10.2, Petaluma at 8.2, Santa Rosa at 8.9 and Rohnert Park at just 8.8.

The Press Democrat reported this week that the county's unemployment numbers were the lowest they've been in nearly three years, which "may not be as good a sign as it appears for the local economy," the article stated. Read the whole thing here.

Similar statistics are being recorded statewide.

California's unemployment rate dropped for the third straight month in November, to 11.3 percent from 11.7 percent the prior month, according to data derived from a federal survey of 5,500 households statewide.

Meanwhile, Bay Area counties were all below the state average, including Marin County, which has the lowest jobless rate in the state at 6.9 percent. Solano and Santa Clara counties each have the highest rate in the region at 10.6 percent. Sonoma County's economy was slightly better than the state's.

The national unemployment rate also took a sharp drop in November to 8.6 percent from 9 percent in October.

What do these numbers mean to you? Have you noticed a change in the economy or gained a job recently? Did you lose a job during the recession? Have you lost a home or been forced to make life sacrifices? We'd love to hear from you. Let us know how you've been impacted by sending an email to Alexis Fitts at alexis.fitts@patch.com