As voters weigh economic issues ahead of the , Colorado鈥檚 job growth is continuing its steady upward trend. Economists with the Leeds School of Business at CU- Boulder say Colorado ranks fourth in the nation for employment growth.
The state in September, marking the 35th consecutive month of job gains.
That growth puts Colorado ahead of most other states since the recession, said economist Richard Wobbekind.
"Year over year, we鈥檙e up over 67,000 jobs, and again that will be up around the top five states in the country for that," Wobbekind said.
Although it isn鈥檛 the only factor, , especially in Weld County. Wobbekind said the boom is one reason Colorado is one of only 19 states that have gained back all the .
"Many of the states have an energy component to them. So it appears that energy is one of those things helping those states recover," Wobbekind said.
Northern Colorado is faring better than the state overall, with the strongest job growth recorded in the Greeley, Fort Collins-Loveland, Boulder, and Denver areas.
Weld County鈥檚 unemployment rate dropped to 3.8 percent, nearly 1 percent lower than the statewide rate of 4.7 percent for September. The nationwide unemployment rate also declined to 5.9 percent in the same month.
Wobbekind said the improving employment situation will eventually lead to increased workforce participation and higher wages, which over 2014.
