Cayuga County's unemployment rate hit a 13-year high for the month of August this year, according to the latest data from the state Department of Labor.

The county's 5.5 percent jobless rate jumped considerably from the 3.9 percent rate recorded for the same month in 2007.

It also was up from 5.3 percent in July, which is a rare jump to see because seasonal fluctuations typically bring lower unemployment in August.

The last time the August rate was higher than this year's level was 1995, when it reached 6.0 percent.

The one bright spot for the county job market is that unemployment levels are better than the statewide average of 5.6 percent.

But August marked the ninth straight month of year-over-year increases in unemployment in Cayuga County.

For much of that time, the net job losses could be attributed to county residents losing work they once had outside the county. Jobs within county boarders had been holding steady.

But for two straight months, the number of jobs that actually exist in Cayuga County has also declined. Total nonfarm jobs in August were down 300, to 26,800. The breakdown included 200 fewer private sector jobs and 100 fewer in government.

Within specific industries, both the manufacturing and financial activities sectors lost 100 jobs.