Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Jobless Rate Drops

Nevada County's unemployment rate dropped significantly from July to August, according to information from the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

The July figure showed the jobless rate to be 5.4 percent, while August had a solid decline to 4.5 percent, almost one full percentage point.

Those counties surrounding Nevada County also saw their unemployment numbers fall during the month.

In Clark County the figure fell from 3.8 percent to 3.6 percent, while the number in Columbia County dropped from 6.2 percent to 5.6 percent.

In Hempstead County the decline was more pronounced, going from 6.3 percent to 4.9 percent for the period.

Lafayette County's decline was quite noticeable as well, dropping from 7.9 percent in July to 6.5 percent in August.

Ouachita County's rate fell from 8.8 percent to 7.7 percent, while the Pike County numbers went down from 4.9 percent to an even 4.0 percent.

Statewide the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent from July to August, while the national average rose to 4.1 percent from 4.0 percent during the same period.

A check of where the counties rank based on their jobless figures shows Clark County at number 24 with its 3.6 percent figure.

Pike County is in 31st place, while Nevada County enters the list in 38th position.

Hempstead County follows in 42nd place, with Columbia County ranked 56th.

Lafayette County is on the tally in 61st place, with Ouachita County joining the ranks in 71st.

One of the reasons for the lower rankings is the number of counties with figures from 2.0 to 2.9 percent.

In fact, only one county, Desha, had jobless figures in double digits for the month. This placed Desha County 75th on the list with its 10.4 percent unemployment.

The other side of the coin has Benton County at a minute 1.8 percent unemployment.

Nine counties in the state have jobless figures from 2.0 to 2.9 percent, while a whopping 20 counties fall into the 3.0 to 3.9 percent bracket.

Twelve counties have jobless rates from 4.0 to 4.9 percent, with 15 joining the ranks with 5.0 to 5.9 percent unemployment.

Nine counties fall into the 6.0 to 6.9 percent category, with four counties registering 7.0 to 7.9 percent unemployment.

Three counties have numbers from 8.0 to 8.9 percent, with one being found with a jobless rate between 10.0 and 10.9 percent.

Overall, the unemployment rate fell in 63 of the state's 75 counties, while rising in eight and remaining unchanged in four.

The Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) once again shows the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA with the lowest jobless rate in the state at 2.1 percent, down from 2.2 percent in July.

Next on the list is the Fort Smith MSA at 3.2 percent, down from 3.5 percent a month earlier. Fort Smith is tied with the Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA with its 3.2 percent figure. In July, the Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA registered 3.6 percent unemployment.

Jonesboro's MSA enters the list in fourth place at 3.7 percent, after dropping from 3.9 percent.

And, once again the Pine Bluff MSA brings up the rear, even though it had the largest drop in unemployment from 7.3 percent to 6.8 percent.