Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Local Employment Stable

For the first time in several months, Clark County doesn't have the lowest unemployment rate in the state.

According to a release from the Arkansas Employment Security Department, Clark County, with a 3.4 percent (up from 3.3 percent the month before) jobless rate, is second to Benton County's 3.2 percent figure for the month of February.

These figures do not reflect the unemployment rate following the March 1 tornadoes.

The numbers for surrounding counties fluctuated.

In Dallas County, the figures remained a constant 8.7 percent from January to February, while Hot Spring County's jobless rate rose from 6.6 percent to 7.1 percent during the recorded period.

Montgomery County's rate skyrocketed from 6.8 percent in January to 8.1 percent in February. In the meantime, the figures from Nevada County were steady at 7.5 percent.

The same could be said for Ouachita County, as its jobless numbers remained unchanged at 9.9 percent.

On the other hand, the figures form Pike County dropped slightly rom 7.0 percent to 6.4 percent.

Checking where the counties rank according to their unemployment ratings, Clark County comes in at second, while Pike County is rated 28th.

Hot Spring Count is 10 places back in 38th, while Nevada County enters the foray in 43rd. Montgomery County is rated 48th, with Dallas County entering the race in 53rd.

Ouachita County climbed to 59th place.

There are seven counties with jobless figures from 3.0 to 3.9 percent. They are Benton (3.2), Clark (3.4), Saline (3.5), Scott (3.6), Pulaski and Washington (3.8), and Franklin (3.9).

Four counties show unemployment rates between 4.0 and 4.9 percent, while there are 11 counties with numbers between 5.0 and 5.9 percent.

The 6.0 to 6.9 percent division boasts 11 counties as well, while there are 14 counties with numbers from 7.0 to 7.9 percent.

In the 8.0 to 8.9 percent region there are eight counties, while six more fill the 9.0 to 9.9 bracket.

Arkansas has a total of 14 counties with double-digit unemployment, with five counties reporting numbers from 10.0 to 10.9 percent, three in the 11.0 to 11.9 region, two with 12.0 to 12.9 percent, one in the 13.0 percent area, two more from 14.0 to 14.9 percent and one with 15 percent.

Those counties with jobless numbers of more than 10 percent are: Van Buren (10.1), Mississippi (10.4), Monroe and Woodruff (10.5), Newton (10.8), Desha (11.3), Carroll and Phillips (11.7), St. Francis (12.0), Prairie (12.6), Jackson (13.3), Randolph (14.2), Bradley (14.3) and Lee (15.9).

Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.4 percent for February, the same as it was in January. This is 0.1 percent higher than the national average of 5.3 percent.

Checking the state's Metropolitan Statistical Areas, the Fayetteville-Rogers-Springdale MSA remains lowest with its 3.5 percent figure. Next comes the Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA at 4.2 percent, followed by the Jonesboro MSA at 4.4 percent. Fort Smith's MSA is 5.5 percent, while the Pine Bluff MSA remains the highest in the state at 8.1 percent.