Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment Rate Climbs Rapidly; Jumps To 7.4%

Nevada County's unemployment rate rose sharply from December to January.

The December rate was 5.9 percent, while the January figures showed a climb to 7.4 percent.

All other counties surrounding Nevada also saw their jobless numbers rise.

In Clark County the figure went from 3.3 percent in December to 3.6 percent for January.

Columbia County rose a full percentage point, going from 5.8 percent to 6.8 percent.

In Hempstead County the number changed, rising from 6.6 percent to 7.3 percent for the recording period.

Lafayette County went from 5.2 percent to 6.7 percent, while Ouachita County wound up in double figures again, going from 9.4 percent to 10.7 percent. In Pike County the numbers changed from an even 5.0 percent to 5.6 percent.

Looking at the rankings based on the unemployment numbers, Clark County came in third, tied with Benton, Lonoke and Washington counties.

Pike County entered the tally in 22nd, with Lafayette County finishing in 35th. Columbia County's rate was good enough for a 36th place finish.

Hempstead County rated 42nd, while Nevada County was 45th. Ouachita County entered the race in 68th position.

Scott County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.1 percent for the period in question, while Randolph County had the worst problem with joblessness with a 14.3 percent unemployment figure.

There were nine counties with jobless rates from 3.0 to 3.9 percent, with six counties figuring in at the 4.0 to 4.9 percent bracket.

The 5.0 to 5.9 percent category housed 12 counties, while there were 13 counties with jobless numbers from 6.0 to 6.9 percent.

Nine more counties figured in at the 7.0 to 7.9 percent division, with four counties reporting numbers from 8.0 to 8.9 percent.

Five counties came in with jobless rates from 9.0 to 9.9. percent, with the double-digit sector housing a total of 15 counties.

There were 10 counties with unemployment figures from 10.0 to 10.9 percent. Two counties fell into the 11.0 to 11.9 percent slot, with two more recording figures from 12.0 to 12.9 percent.

One county, Bradley (13.8 percent) was in the 13.0 to 13.9 percent area, with one in the 14.0 to 14.9 percent spot as well.

According to the Arkansas Employment Security Division, these figures have been revised to reflect the employment levels in the state for the first quarter of 1998.

The state's seasonally adjusted rate was 5.2 percent, up 0.2 percent from December. The national rate of 4.7 percent was unchanged.

The jobless figures in Arkansas' five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) also rose for the period.

Still, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA was the lowest as its numbers went from 3.1 to 3.6 percent. And, again, the Pine Bluff MSA had the highest unemployment, rising from 7.0 percent to 8.2 percent.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA numbers went from 3.6 to 4.0 percent, while the Jonesboro MSA rose from 3.6 to 4.5 percent.

The Fort Smith MSA went from 4.9 percent to 5.3 percent.