Teton County in August had the second lowest unemployment rate in Wyoming, according to statistics the state released Wednesday.

The county’s jobless rate last month was 4.2 percent, the same as in July. Albany County had the lowest rate in Wyoming, 4.1 percent.

Unemployment for the state was 6.6 percent in August, up from 6.5 percent in July, a change that is not statistically significant. The highest unemployment rates were in Big Horn and Fremont counties. Both had rates of 7.7 percent.

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent.

While Teton County unemployment figures held steady over the month, August numbers were much higher than in 2008.

In August 2008, Teton County’s unemployment rate was 1.9 percent, said David Bullard, senior economist with the Wyoming Department of Employment.

Employment in Teton County typically is stable  in July and August but businesses in October and November close their doors or shrink staff for the off-season, Bullard said. Last year, unemployment rose to 2.7 percent in October and jumped to 5 percent in November.

Local human services agencies are preparing for a tough shoulder season, said Smokey Rhea, executive director of the Community Resource Center.

“We’re calling this ‘the calm before the storm,’” she said.

Many seasonal workers had less work this summer, or started later in the season, hindering them from building up the financial cushion that normally sustains them during the off-season, Rhea said.

Rhea also said she worried unemployment statistics were not representative of the actual number because those who still don’t have a job after their unemployment insurance has run out aren’t counted.

The Community Resource Center will continue to try to keep people in their homes and meet basic emergency needs, Rhea said. They are stockpiling what supplies and resources they can and are writing grants to help pay mortgages.

“We’re really scared,” she said.

One day last week, the center met with 27 people in two hours. The center has seen about three times more people this year than in the previous year.

Rhea worries the state and Teton County’s low unemployment rates will attract people to the area who will be unable to find work or resources to help support them just as winter comes in full force.

She said she thinks conditions in Teton County will be better in about a year.