Regional jobless rates for April: Vegas at 33.5%, Reno at 19.6%, Carson City at 21.4%

CARSON CITY, Nev. — It came as no surprise that unemployment in Nevada skyrocketed in April — and no surprise that Clark County, which relies more on tourism, hospitality and gaming businesses than anywhere else in the state, was the hardest hit.

Last week, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation released April statistics showing the statewide jobless rate had catapulted to a record-high 28.2%, highest in the nation.

On Wednesday, DETR released regional-specific statistics, showing that in the Las Vegas statistical area, the jobless rate was 33.5% in April — equated to 356,652 among a labor force of 1,063,731 out of work — after Gov. Steve Sisolak on March 17 ordered non-essential businesses, including resorts and casinos, to shut down the slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

According to Wednesday's stats, unemployment was 19.6% in the Reno-Sparks metro area for the month of April, with 44,689 out of work in a labor force of 227,600.

In Carson City, the jobless rate was 21.4% in April, with 4,952 unemployed out of 23,131 workers.

DETR officials say no part of the state escaped damage, with jobless rates in rural areas ranging broadly from 10-20%.

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For example. Churchill County reported a rate of 12.8%. There are 9,435 in Churchill's labor force and 1,203 out of work.

Douglas County reported 19.3%, 3,956 jobless in a pool of 20,454. Lyon County's rate was 20.1% — 4,159 out of work in a labor force of 20,735.

“This month's report captures the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nevada's labor market. Not to our surprise, the state and sub-state regions all realized a significant increase in unemployment and decrease in employment," David Schmidt, Chief Economist for DETR, said in a Wednesday statement. "... As the situation evolves, we will continue to monitor labor market information and post updates on our website, NevadaWorkforce.com."