LAS VEGAS - Nevada's unemployment rate hit a record in July, climbing to 12.5 percent statewide and 13.1 percent in Las Vegas, according to a state report issued Friday.
That puts the Silver State 3.1 percentage points above the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent, according to figures from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
The state's unemployment rate was the third highest in the nation, behind Michigan at 15 percent and Rhode Island at 12.7 percent, the agency said.
The department said an estimated 179,300 people were unemployed and actively seeking work in the state, while about 1.23 million people held jobs.
In Carson City, unemployment was 11.7 percent. A rate of 12.2 percent unemployment in Reno and Sparks for July wasn't much better than Las Vegas.
Unemployment in Elko and Eureka counties increased slightly from June to 6.7 percent in July, the agency said.
Statewide unemployment was 6.7 percent during the same month one year ago, with 95,000 Nevadans unemployed.
Bill Anderson, the agency's chief economist, said in a statement that the bottom can't come soon enough for Nevada.
"Growth in the national economy will likely precede improvement in Nevada," Anderson said. "When that growth will trickle down to Nevada is less certain."
Anderson said several national indicators showed positive signs of a rebound in 2010, including improvement in the housing market and slowing decline in the country's gross domestic product.
But the department said Nevada's jobless rate has jumped 1.9 percent over the last three months as 27,600 Nevadans became unemployed, the largest three-month surge since the state began keeping records in 1976.
A statewide breakdown showed 313,400 people were employed in the leisure and hospitality industry in July, 1,800 fewer than in June and 22,700 fewer compared with July one year ago. Casino-hotels and the gambling industry employed 186,100 people, down from 187,500 in June and 204,600 in July last year.
There were 6,600 fewer government jobs in July than in June as Nevada began a new fiscal year. The agency said 149,300 people had local, state and government jobs in July.
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On the Net:
Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation: http://www.detr.state.nv.us