Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment Rate Drops

Clark County's unemployment rate dropped slightly from September to October, as the figures fell from 2.5 percent to 2.2 percent.

According to the Arkansas Employment Security Division (ESD), the jobless numbers for surrounding counties were all down, with the exception of Hot Spring County, which rose a tenth of a percent, along with Montgomery and Pike counties, which remained unchanged.

In Dallas County the figures fell from 6.1 percent to 5.4 percent for the recording period.

Hot Spring County rose from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent, while Montgomery County was steady at 3.9 percent for both months.

Nevada County enjoyed a drop from 4.5 percent to 4.0 percent, while Ouachita County saw its figures fall from 7.9 percent to 6.9 percent.

The numbers in Pike County were a solid 3.1 percent for September and October.

Looking at where the counties rated based on their jobless figures, Clark County came in fifth with its 2.2 percent, with Pike County next in 18th.

From there, Montgomery County was ranked 28th, while Nevada County entered the list in 31st.

Hot Spring County was 35th on the tally, while Dallas County was a distant 61st.

Ouachita County, in spite of its plunge in unemployment, was rated 72nd of the state's 75 counties.

Two counties, Benton (1.8 percent) and Carroll (1.9 percent) entered the mythical realm with jobless figures from 1.0 to 1.9 percent.

There were 12 counties registering unemployment numbers from 2.0 to 2.9 percent, and 16 falling into the 3.0 to 3.9 percent zone.

An astounding 23 counties showed with figures from 4.0 to 4.9 percent, while there were 14 in the 5.0 to 5.9 percent bracket.

Five counties comprised the 6.0 to 6.9 percent region, while there was one county each in the 7.0 to 7.9 percent division; 8.0 to 8.9 percent category and 9.0 to 9.9 percent spot.

Benton County had the lowest figure at 1.8 percent, while Mississippi County was at the other end of the spectrum at 9.2 percent.

No county in the state had double-digit unemployment in October.

A check of the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) again shows the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA with the lowest figures at 2.0 percent, down from 2.3 percent.

The Jonesboro MSA and Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA were knotted at 2.8 percent for October.

In September, Jonesoboro's rate was 3.2 percent while the Little Rock area was at 3.1 percent.

The Fort Smith MSA is next at 3.2 percent, down from 3.3 percent.

Once again, the Pine Bluff MSA brings up the rear with a 6.3 percent jobless rate, but it is down from 6.9 percent in September.

Arkansas's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent to 4.2 percent, a record for the state.

Nationally, the figures fell by the same amount for a comforting 4.1 percent jobless rate.