Santa Clarita’s unemployment rate fell 0.4 percent to 5.7 percent for the month of April, according a state Employment Development Department official.

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That number is 3.6 percent lower than the rate for Los Angeles County, which has a 9.3 percent unemployment rate, said Juan Millan, consultant for the Labor Market Division of the EDD.

“We believe this drop this is attributable to a strengthening local economy and more activity in real estate,” said city Manager Ken Striplin. “We are seeing an uptick in our sales tax revenue and in real estate locally.”

The numbers are not seasonally adjusted, Millan said.

The current labor force is 89,700, with 5,100 unemployed, compared to a labor force of 89,900 and 5,700 unemployed in February.

“We’re seeing the economy definitely marching forward, and that is a very good sign,” said city Spokeswoman Gail Ortiz.

For California unemployment statistics by county, click here.

About the Employment Development Department

The Employment Development Department is one of the largest state departments with employees at hundreds of service locations throughout the state. For more than 70 years, they have connected millions of job seekers and employers in an effort to build the economy of the Golden State.

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