Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment takes nosedive

Unemployment took a nosedive in Clark County, as the jobless rate fell from 3.9 percent to 2.9 percent from July to August.

For the most part, surrounding counties also enjoyed a drop in their

unemployment rates, according to information from the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

Dallas County saw its jobless numbers fall from 8.9 percent in July to 7.8 percent in August.

Hot Spring County was the only neighboring county without a drop in unemployment. However, the county's jobless rate didn't rise, but remained steady at 5.2 percent.

In Montgomery County, the figures fell from 3.5 to 3.0 percent, while Nevada County's jobless rate dropped from 5.0 to 4.4 percent for the reporting period.

Ouachita County got out of the double-digit unemployment, going from 10.0 percent to 9.6 percent, with Pike County falling from 5.6 percent in July to 4.0 percent in August.

Taking a look at where counties ranked according to their unemployment rate shows Clark County seventh.

Montgomery County is close behind in 10th, while Pike County follows in 29th with its 4.0 percent jobless figure.

Nevada County joins the list in 34th place, while Hot Spring County is ranked 47th.

Dallas County comes in at 65th, with Ouachita County near the bottom in 73rd.

Benton County had the lowest jobless rate in the state with an even 2.0 percent, while, at the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi County had the highest unemployment figures at 12.8 percent.

Only two counties in the state had jobless rates higher than 10 percent for this reporting period.

Nine counties had unemployment numbers from 2.0 to 2.9 percent, while there were 19 counties falling in the 3.0 to 3.9 percent bracket.

Another 16 counties were housed in the 4.0 to 4.9 category, with 10 counties falling in the 5.0 to 5.9 percent division.

The 6.0 to 6.9 percent slot contained six counties, with another seven counties showing 7.0 to 7.9 percent unemployment.

Five counties showed figures from 8.0 to 8.9 percent, with one in the 9.0 to 9.9 percent region.

Additionally, one county was in the 11.0 to 11.9 percent group, with one showing 12.0 to 12.9 percent unemployment.

Checking the state's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the lowest unemployment rate was found in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA at 2.1 percent, falling from 2.4 percent in July.

Next on the list is the Fort Smith MSA, dropping from 3.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA showed a drop from 4.1 to 3.8 percent for the reporting period, while the Jonesboro MSA remained unchanged at 4.4 percent.

The Pine Bluff MSA also enjoyed a drop, but remained the metropolitan area with the highest unemployment. Its numbers went from 7.9 to 7.7 percent.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged from July to August, remaining at 4.6 percent.

Nationally, though, the jobless figures rose from 4.5 to 4.9 percent, the highest it's been since Sept. 1997, when it was also 4.9 percent.