Aug. 17--Gov. David Paterson spoke frankly late last month.

New York state, he said, is in a recession.

It's logical to suppose then, that Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties are probably also in a recession.

But local economic development experts, who know times are getting tough, also know one area's economy isn't always an exact reflection of the state's.

"Regionally, we are feeling the pinch," said Peter Wohl, Empire State Development Corp. Capital Region director. "But we have some very encouraging micro economies."

One reason we're feeling the pinch is unemployment, which has been increasing in every county across the state.

"There's been a pretty broad-based loss in jobs," said Jim Ross, an analyst for the state Department of Labor who concentrates on the Capital District.

"The only private sector that's seeing much growth is health care." The Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area lost 1,300 nonfarm jobs between July 2007 and July 2008, according to Labor Department data. Similarly, private sector jobs decreased by 1,500 in this area, which includes Warren and Washington counties. As such, the unemployment rate in the Glens Falls MSA rose from 3.8 percent in July 2007 to 4.9 percent in July 2008. While this clearly indicates economic hardship, the state as a whole is worse off in terms of the number of people without jobs. Statewide, unemployment rose from 4.9 percent to 5.4 percent between July 2007 and 2008.

In Saratoga County, the situation is somewhat better than it is in the Glens Falls area.

According to data from the state Department of Labor, unemployment in Saratoga County was at 4.4 percent in July 2008. That's up from 3.6 percent during the same period last year.

"In terms of unemployment, Saratoga's got one of the lowest in the state," Ross said. "This is partially because of the track. "The Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area is also below the state, partially because of summer tourism," he added. "There are seasonal factors at play here."

Year-round jobs, however, may also contribute to the area's lower unemployment rate.

"We have fairly stable employment in this market," said Tom Hoy, chairman, president and CEO of Arrow Financial Corp. "We don't have a lot of cyclical industries, though years ago we were more reliant on cyclical industries.

"Our medical device industry, for instance, is driven by something other than typical economic cycles," he continued. "There's an ever-growing demand for medical devices."

This ever-growing demand means companies like AngioDynamics Inc. and C.R.