Colorado's unemployment rate fell another point to 6.1 percent in January, continuing a downward trend from last year, and marking 27 straight months of job growth in Colorado.
The state labor department says Colorado added 7,300 jobs in the first month of the year, mostly in construction, health services and the oil and gas industries.
One especially strong area of the state is northeast Colorado, where the oil and gas industry is not only hiring more workers, but also paying relatively high wages.
"Those types of jobs have a much greater economic impact because the people earning those wages have a greater purchasing power and it has a much stronger positive effect in other industries," the State's Chief Economist Alexandra Hall said.
Today’s report also shows revised numbers from last year put the state’s job growth in 2013 at 3 percent, nearly twice the figure for the nation as a whole.
But not all of Colorado is faring equally. Job growth around Grand Junction is under 1 percent.
"That is an area that continues to struggle, as the rest of the state recovers," Hall said.
Other slow spots for job growth include Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
Greeley saw the highest job growth in the state last year.
