Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

County unemployment steady at 4.3 percent

Nevada County's unemployment rate remained unchanged from June to July, according to information from the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

The county's jobless rate stayed at 4.3 percent for the reporting period. However, the figures for surrounding counties fluxuated. Nevada County was one of 10 in the state with unchanged unemployment numbers for the period.

Clark County's numbers remained unchanged at 6.1 percent, while Columbia County enjoyed a decline, going from 7.1 percent to 6.3 percent.

Hempstead County saw it's jobless rate rise from 5.1 to 5.6 percent, with Lafayette County's dropping from 5.0 to 4.8 percent.

The figures also fell in Ouachita County, falling from 10.6 percent to 9.8 percent, while Pike County's numbers remained steady at 5.9 percent.

Looking at where the counties rank based on the jobless figures, Nevada County enters the list in fourth place. Lafayette County is 14th, with Hempstead County following in 26th.

Clark County is down to 36th, with Columbia County rated 40th. Ouachita County is 63rd out of 75 counties.

Madison County had the lowest unemployment numbers in the state at 2.7 percent, while Mississippi County was at the other end of the spectrum with a 15.4 percent jobless rate.

Two counties in the state had jobless figures between 2.0 and 2.9 percent, with two more in the 3.0 to 3.9 percent bracket.

A total of 13 counties had numbers between 4.0 and 4.9 percent, while there were 15 in the 5.0 to 5.9 percent category.

Another 13 were housed in the 6.0 to 6.9 percent range, while the 7.0 to 7.9 percent group had four counties.

Three counties had jobless rates from 8.0 to 8.9 percent, with 10 counties showing figures from 9.0 to 9.9 percent

The state had 12 counties with double-digit unemployment. Of those, four were between 10.0 and 10.9 percent; five had 11.0 to 11.9 percent unemployment; two were in the 13.0- to 13.9 percent spot; and one, Mississippi County, fell in the 15.0 to 15.9 percent division.

Checking the state's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), shows the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA with the lowest unemployment rate, though it rose from 3.0 percent to 3.1 percent from June until July.

The Jonesboro MSA is next with its 4.8 percent figure, unchanged during the reporting period.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA follows with a 4.9 percent figure, down from 5.0 percent a month earlier.

The Fort Smith MSA is next with its 5.1 percent rate, down from 5.2 percent.

And, again, the Pine Bluff MSA had the highest jobless rate at 9.2 percent, though it fell from 9.4 percent.

Overall, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a point to 5.5 percent in July.

Nationally, the rate also fell, dropping from 6.4 percent to 6.2 percent.