Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

County's Jobless Rate Falls

Nevada County had another good month where its unemployment rate was concerned.

According to the Arkansas Employment Security Division, the county's jobless figure fell from 4.5 percent in August to 4.1 percent in September.

In fact, the unemployment numbers in all surrounding counties also experienced a decline during the reporting period.

In Clark County the figures fell from 3.6 percent in August to 2.2 percent in September.

Columbia County saw its unemployment go from 5.6 percent to 4.8 percent, while Hempstead County had a more modest drop, going from 4.9 percent to 4.4 percent.

The numbers in Lafayette County went from 6.5 percent to 5.8 percent, and in Ouachita County, before the announced closing of the International Paper Co. paper mill, the figures had fallen from 7.5 percent to 6.6 percent. The announcement will likely have an adverse effect on the county's unemployment rate.

In Pike County, the numbers went from 4.0 percent to 3.6 percent.

A check of where counties ranked based on their unemployment statistics show Clark County seventh with its 2.2 percent figures.

Next comes Pike County in 35th, with Nevada County entering the list in 41st place.

Hempstead County joins the group in 48th position, with Columbia County rated 52nd.

Then comes Lafayette County, 64th, with Ouachita County making the cut in 71st place.

No county in Arkansas had double-digit unemployment from August to September, according to the ESD figures.

In fact, Benton County almost had no unemployment at all with its 1.5 percent figure. Desha County had the highest jobless rate in the state at 8.4 percent.

Three counties in Arkansas had unemployment figures from 1.0 to 1.9 percent, with 14 joining the ranks between 2.0 to 2.9 percent.

There were 22 counties in the state with jobless figures from 3.0 to 3.9 percent, and 17 more falling in the 4.0 to 4.9 percent category.

Nine counties made up the 5.0 to 5.9 division, with six counties reporting jobless figures from 6.0 to 6.9 percent.

Two counties had 7.0 to 7.9 percent unemployment, with only one in the 8.0 to 8.9 percent bracket.

The unemployment rate also fell in the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers .

MSA reported a drop from 2.1 percent in August to an almost non-existent 1.7 percent in September.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA was second, falling from 3.3 percent to 2.8 percent.

Next on the list was the Fort Smith MSA, dropping from 3.2 percent to 3.0 percent.

Fourth on the tally was the Jonesboro MSA, as it went from 3.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

Once again, the Pine Bluff MSA had the highest unemployment rate, but there was a solid drop as it went from 6.7 percent to 5.9 percent.

Overall, the unemployment rate in Arkansas fell to its lowest level ever at 3.8 percent.

According to the ESD, this was the second record low set this year. The previous was 4.0 percent in June.

Nationally, the jobless rate was 3.9 percent.

Statewide, 72 of the 75 counties saw the unemployment numbers fall, with only one county, Montgomery, rising, and it only by 1/10 of a percentage point.