Wyoming unemployment falls as people leave the state

New state statistics show Wyoming’s unemployment rate has dropped as the state has lost thousands of jobs over the past year.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in March, down a full percentage point from the same month last year.

The numbers from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services also show the state lost about 6,300 nonfarm jobs during that one-year period.

Most of those cuts came from Campbell, Converse, Natrona and Uinta counties amid the energy downturn.

State economist David Bullard says the county numbers show people are either leaving the state or have stopped looking for jobs.

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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com