Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the unemployment rates in Greene and Columbia counties declined in August, but remain higher than average. In Columbia County the jobless rate decreased from 9.9 to 7.3 percent from July to August; in Greene County the rate dropped from 12.6 to 9.7 percent. Statewide the unemployment rate declined from 15.9 to 12.5 percent. Columbia Economic Development Corporation President F. Michael Tucker said he is cautiously optimistic about the decline, which represents the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the state. The number of people employed in Greene County is down by 400 compared to last year, Greene County Economic Development and Planning Director Karl Heck said. “As things have reopened, the unemployment rate is dropping, the number of people employed is only down 400 from a year ago, which given the circumstances is good,” he said. It is difficult to tell whether employees have returned to their original jobs or if the pandemic forced them to look for other opportunities, Tucker said. Some industries, such as food service, are unable to bring back all of their employees, he said. Heck agreed that hospitality workers are facing obstacles. “Those sectors faced the brunt of unemployment,” he said. One market that has been doing especially well is real estate, Tucker said. New listings for August were up 27.5 percent and the number of closings increased by 28.2 percent, Tucker said. The median sale price increased by 40.5 percent to $347,000 in Columbia County. The median sale price in Greene County was up by 6 percent for the second quarter, but the number of closings was down by 28 percent, according to the state Association of Realtors. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.