Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Unemployment For County Still Lowest

It's getting a bit redundant, but this is the kind of redundancy people enjoy.

Once again, Clark County has the lowest unemployment rate in the state of Arkansas, according to a report by the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

The county's jobless figures stand at 2.2 percent in November, a rise of 0.2 percent from the October account.

The results for surrounding counties were mixed as about half saw their rates increase, while the rest had lower numbers.

Dallas County, for example, went from 6.8 percent to 7.4 percent for the reporting period.

The figures for Hot Spring County had a slight increase from 4.6 percent to 4.7 percent.

Montgomery County's rate went from 3.2 percent to an even 4.0 percent for the month, while Nevada County had a significant decrease, dropping from 7.4 percent to 6.0 percent.

In Ouachita County, the numbers fell a little, from 9.8 percent to 9.6 percent. Pike County also had a decline, from 5.4 percent to 5.1 percent.

Checking the rankings according to the unemployment statistics, Clark County is at the top with its 2.2 percent numbers.

Montgomery County enters the chart in 16th, while Hot Spring County comes in at 27.

Pike County is ranked 36th, with Nevada County 10 spots behind in 46th place.

Dallas County's 7.4 percent joblessness puts it in the 57th hole, with Ouachita County 71st of the state's 75 counties.

Once again, Randolph County has the highest unemployment rate in Arkansas with a 12.9 figure.

Five counties, Clark, Benton, Washington, Saline and Scott, have jobless rates from 2.0 to 2.9 percent.

There are 10 counties in the 3.0 to 3.9 division, while a whopping 20 fall in the bracket from 4.0 to 4.9 percent.

The 5.0 to 5.9 region houses 10 counties, with another nine coming in with figures from 6.0 to 6.9 percent.

Ten counties come in with unemployment rates from 7.0 to 7.9 percent.

Prairie, Monroe and St. Francis counties report jobless rates from 8.0 to 8.9 percent.

Desha, Phillips and Ouachita counties make up the 9.0 to 9.9 category; with Lee and Bradley counties each reporting numbers of an even 10 percent.

Jackson County has 11.8 percent of its residents unemployed, with Randolph County being 75th with its 12.9 number.

While Arkansas' jobless rate dropped by three-tenths of a point during the reporting period, the national numbers rose by two-tenths of a point. This means the state's seasonally adjusted rate of 5.2 is lower than the U.S. number at 5.4 percent.

The unemployment rate fell in all four of the state's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA again had the lowest numbers with 2.4 percent, while Pine Bluff's MSA stayed the highest with its 7.3 percent rating. The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA reported 3.4 percent unemployment, while the figures for the Fort Smith MSA were 4.5 percent.