Steinhaus Hails Recent Economic Data

Wage Growth Leads New York State

For Further Information Contact:

William R. Steinhaus, County Executive
(845) 486-2000

Poughkeepsie… “Dutchess County continues to have a great economic story to tell,” said Dutchess County Executive William R. Steinhaus. Key economic data including job growth, wage growth and unemployment figures recently released from the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics and the New York State Department of Labor all indicate the economic outlook for Dutchess County remains strong.

“Our continued efforts to strengthen our local economy and improve the quality of life in Dutchess County have again been proven successful, as the numbers from both state and federal data show,” said County Executive Steinhaus. “Dutchess County ranked among the top 10% of large counties in the nation for wage growth. That is an impressive indicator of the success of our multi-dimensional economic development policies.”

Economic data recently released included the following statistics:

Wage growth increased 4.1%.Fastest growth among New York’s 12 large counties with 75,000 or more jobs.Ranked 22nd among the 325 largest counties in the nation.- United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2007
Private sector job growth increased 1.2% in May 2007 as compared to 2006.- New York State Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, June 2007
Unemployment rate for May 2007 remains low at 3.6% Compared to New York State 4.4% and the United States national rate of 4.5%.- New York State Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, June 2007

Dutchess County’s average weekly wage level was $814, as compared to the national average of $784.

“We are proud of our success to date, but are not satisfied to rest on our achievements. Our Dutchess County team has still more work to do. We will continue to focus on creating a high quality household living environment in our community,” concluded County Executive Steinhaus.

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