New York City’s unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in December, the lowest it has been in nearly five years, according to the state’s Labor Department.
The statewide unemployment rate also fell, from 7.4 percent in November to 7.1 percent in December, the lowest it has been since January 2009.
Despite the decreases, the city and the state rates are still higher the national unemployment rate, which was 6.7 percent in December.
In December, New York added 10,400 private-sector jobs to reach an all-time high of 7,503,700, the Labor Department reported.
The number of unemployed New Yorkers decreased from 715,700 in November to 681,100 in December, the lowest since December 2008.
According to the data, New York City added 94,500 jobs in 2013, a gain of 2.4 percent.