Unemployment falls in city, county

Unemployment in Oktibbeha County fell for September to a preliminary 4.3 percent from the revised 5.0 percent in August, according to the latest data from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The improvement in the preliminary numbers for the county signaled a 1 percent improvement year-over-year.

Starkville’s unemployment rate also saw substantial improve from 4.3 percent in August to the preliminary 3.6 percent in September. The city also saw unemployment fall year-over-year

by 0.2 percent.

The number of employed in Starkville jumped from August’s total of 11,270 to 12,390 last month.

The preliminary number of employed citizens in Okitbbeha County rose to 22,780 in September from 20,710 in August.

Oktibbeha County’s unemployment rate also helped it climb the ladder among Mississippi counties, rising to a tie for 13th lowest unemployment rate with Simpson, Tallahatchie and Tishomingo counties.

Oktibbeha County also led the way for the Golden Triangle area and surrounding counties, which reported unemployment rates including: Lowndes (4.9 percent), Clay (6.1 percent), Choctaw (4.6 percent), Webster (4.9 percent), Chickasaw (5.0 percent), Winston (5.5 percent) and Noxubee (7.1 percent).

Rankin and Union counties tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.4 percent.

Jefferson County finished with the highest unemployment rate at 11.3 percent, which is the only Mississippi county to report unemployment above 10 percent.

Despite improvement across the state, Mississippi’s unemployment rate (4.7 percent) still lagged the the national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.