Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment Declines

Nevada County enjoyed a significant decline in unemployment from March to April.

According to the Arkansas Employment Security Division, the March figures for the county showed 7.5 percent of the populace needing work. As of April, though, the numbers dropped to 5.9 percent.

With one exception, the jobless rate for surrounding counties also dropped, but none as much as in Nevada County

Clark County saw its unemployment number go from 3.5 percent to an even 3.0 percent for the recording period. In Columbia County, the figures went from 7.3 percent to 6.8 percent.

Hempstead County's jobless rate went from 6.9 percent in March to 6.6 percent in April. Lafayette County proved to be the exception to the rule as its figures climbed from March's 6.6 percent to April's 7.1 percent.

Ouachita County lost a full percentage point on its unemployment, but remained in double figures anyway. The figures from Ouachita County went from 11.0 percent to 10.0 percent.

In Pike County, the number dropped from 4.4 percent to 3.9 percent.

A check of the rankings based on unemployment numbers shows Clark County third with its 3.0 percent figures.

Next on the list is Pike County in 13th position (3.9 percent); and Nevada County (5.9 percent), ranked 41st.

Hempstead County, with its 6.6 percent figures, comes into the count in 49th place.

Then comes Columbia County (6.8 percent) in 51st place, while Lafayette County (7.1 percent) is in 52nd.

Ouachita County (10.0 percent) is down on the list in 72nd place.

Saline County has the lowest unemployment in the state at 2.7 percent, while Bradley County is on the other end of the spectrum in 75th with a 13.1 percent unemployment rate.

Two counties (Saline and Benton) have jobless numbers from 2.0 to 2.9 percent. There are 13 counties housed within the confines of the 3.0 to 3.9 percent bracket, and 19 others falling into the 4.0 to 4.9 percent division.

The 5.0 to 5.9 percent region contains eight counties, while there are also eight counties with jobless numbers from 6.0 to 6.9 percent.

Nine counties fall into the 7.0 to 7.9 percent slot, with nine more in the 8.0 to 8.9 percent category.

There are two counties in the 9.0 to 9.9 percent division (Desha and Jackson), with two in the 10.0 to 10.9 percent clique. One county, Randolph, is in the 11.0 to 11.9 percent range, while Bradley is the lone county in the 13.0 to 13.9 percent group.

According to the ESD, the unemployment figures from the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) show the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA with the lowest jobless rate, falling from 3.8 percent in March to 3.1 percent in April.

Next on the list is the Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA, falling from 4.1 percent to 3.5 percent. Then comes the Jonesboro MSA, going from 4.5 percent to 3.9 percent for the reporting period.

The Fort Smith MSA ranks fourth, with its figures changing from 5.3 percent in March to 4.4 percent in April.

And, once again, the Pine Bluff MSA brings up the rear, with its jobless numbers going from 8.2 percent to 7.1 percent.

Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent, down significantly from the 5.6 percent numbers in March.

The national jobless rate also declined from March to April, going from 5.0 percent to 4.3 percent.