State report shows county’s jobless rate 5.7%

St. Francis County’s jobless rate fell to 5.7% in August, according to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.

In July, the county’s unemployment rate was 7.1%

Labor force numbers, as well as the total numbers of employed residents, fluctuated during this period.

St. Francis County has the eighth highest jobless rate in August of the state’s 75 counties.

The total of employed residents in the county during July was 7,246, which increased to 7,394 in August, resulting in the 5.7% jobless rate.

The labor force number for SFC in July was 7,797, which rose to 7,838 in August, with a total of 444 unemployed residents within the county compared to July, which was 551.

Lee County, in July, saw a 5.9% unemployment rate, which was higher compared to the 5.2% reported for August.

In July, Lee County reported 2,531 residents working, which rose to 2,600 employed residents in August. The civilian labor force numbers increased between July and August in Lee County with the number in July reported as 2,690. In August, the labor force was 2,743. The number of unemployed residents decreased during this time period from 159 in July to 143 in August.

Cross County has an unemployment rate of 5.2% in July, which fell to 4% in August.

In July, the total number of unemployed residents in Cross County was 358, which decreased to 291 in August. The number of employed residents in Cross County was reportedly 6,584 in July, compared to 6,899 in August. The labor force in Cross County was reported at 6,942 in July, which grew to 7,190 in August.