Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

County's Unemployment Rate Falls; Drops From 3.5 To 2.9 Percent

Clark County's unemployment rate got back on track in March, as the numbers dropped from 3.5 percent to 2.9 percent.

These figures come from the Arkansas Employment Security Division (ESD) and show the jobless rates from February to March.

In fact, the jobless numbers fell for all counties surrounding Clark County, as well as for most of the state.

Dallas County's figures dropped from February's 8.2 percent to 7.4 percent in March.

Hot Spring County went from 5.5 percent to 5.0 percent for the period in question.

Montgomery County saw its jobless rate go from 4.8 percent in February to 4.1 percent in March.

Nevada County had a significant drop, going from 7.5 percent in February to March's 6.1 percent.

In Ouachita County, the numbers dropped even more, falling from 10.2 percent to 8.9 percent for the recording period.

Pike County saw a decline from 6.0 percent to 5.4 percent.

Checking where counties rank based on their unemployment figures, Clark County enters the tally in 7th place.

Montgomery County is ranked 20th, with Hot Spring County entering the list in 31st.

Pike County enters the list in 35th, while Nevada County is 41st.

The number 56 position goes to Dallas County, with Ouachita County drawing number 67.

Benton County has the lowest unemployment in the state with a minuscule 2.3 percent, while the other end of the spectrum belongs to Woodruff County at 12.5 percent.

There are eight counties with jobless figures from 2.0 to 2.9 percent, and another 10 with numbers falling in the 3.0 to 3.9 percent category.

The largest division belongs to the 4.0 to 4.9 percent bracket with 12 counties, though there are 10 counties with jobless rates from 5.0 to 5.9 percent.

Nine counties fall in the 6.0 to 6.9 percent bracket, with 10 in the 7.0 to 7.9 percent range.

A total of eight counties have unemployment rates from 8.0 to 8.9 percent, with two in the 9.0 to 9.9 percent area.

There are six counties in the state with double-digit unemployment, with four of these in the 10.0 to 10.9 percent slot.

One county is in the 11.0 to 11.9 percent area, with one, Woodruff, in the 12.0 to 12.9 percent division.

A look at Arkansas' five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) again shows the Fayetteville-Springdale Rogers MSA with the lowest unemployment rate at 2.5 percent, down from 3.0 percent a month earlier.

The Pine Bluff MSA brings up the rear, once again, with its 7.1 percent jobless figure, though this number is down from 8.3 percent in February.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA is second at 3.0 percent for March, dropping from 3.5 percent.

Next is the Jonesboro MSA at 3.3 percent, falling from 4.0 percent in February.

The Fort Smith MSA figures showed the unemployment to be 4.2 percent, down from 5.0 percent a month earlier.

Overall, the state's jobless rate dropped from 4.7 percent to 4.4 percent for the recording period.

Nationally, the jobless figure also fell, going from 4.4 to 4.2 percent.

The best news for Arkansas is unemployment fell in 74 of 75 counties from February to March. The only exception was Conway County, where the numbers rose because, according to the ESD, a manufacturing plant began laying off workers.