Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment Rises In County

Nevada County's unemployment rate rose slightly from April to May, according to the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

The figures went from 5.9 percent in April to an even 6.0 percent in May.

Most counties surrounding Nevada also saw their jobless numbers rise somewhat.

Clark County went from 2.8 percent in April to 3.2 percent in May, while Columbia County's figures went from April's 6.8 percent to May's 7.3 percent.

In Hempstead County, the jobless rate went from 6.6 percent to 7.0 percent, with Lafayette County rising from 7.1 percent to 7.7 percent.

Ouachita County was the exception as its unemployment numbers fell from 10.0 percent in April to 9.8 percent in May.

The figures from Pike County showed an increase from 3.9 percent to 4.3 percent.

Checking where the counties rank according to the unemployment figures, Clark County is fourth on the list with its 3.2 percent rate.

Next comes Pike County in 19th position, followed by Nevada County down the list in 41st.

Hempstead County enters the list in 52nd place, while Columbia County is ranked 54th.

Ouachita County tips the scales in 73rd place with its 9.8 percent figures.

Benton and Saline counties have the lowest jobless rates in the state with 2.7 percent figures, while Bradley County is at the other end of the spectrum with a whopping 12. 1 percent unemployment rate.

There were two counties in the 2.0 to 2.9 percent bracket, with another 11 made up the 3.0 to 3.9 percent division.

A total of 19 counties comprised the 4.0 to 4.9 percent category, while seven counties made up the 5.0 to 5.9 percent category.

Another 11 counties were housed in the 6.0 to 6.9 percent range, while the 7.0 to 7.9 percent slot had nine residents.

Six counties fell within the confines of the 8.0 to 8.9 percent position, with six more in the 9.0 to 9.9 percent region.

One county, Randolph, (10.1 percent) was in the 10.0 to 10.9 percent bracket, while one, Bradley (12.1 percent) was in the 12.0 to 12.9 percent spot.

Checking the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the Fayetteville-Rogers- Springdale MSA once again had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.0 percent, falling from 3.1 percent in April.

On the other end of the scale was the Pine Bluff MSA with its 7.3 percent jobless rate, up from April's 7.1 percent.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA was second at 3.7 percent, up slightly from 3.5 percent a month earlier.

Then came the Jonesboro MSA, unchanged at 3.9 percent.

The Fort Smith MSA saw its unemployment figures rise a bit, going from 4.5 percent in April to 4.7 percent in May.

Arkansas' seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained unchanged at 5.2 percent for the recording period in question, as did the nation's, which was stead at 4.3 percent.