Unemployment Drops Just Slightly For August

JACKSON, Miss.--Mississippi's unemployment rate dropped just slightly for August, according to figures released Wednesday by the Miss. Dept. of Employment Security. The number was 9.1 percent unemployed, which is down by a tenth of a percentage point. That's the seasonally adjusted number, which removes the influence of events like weather on unemployment.

The nation's unemployment rate is at 8.1 percent, which means Mississippi is one percent higher.

If you compare this month to one year ago, the Magnolia State had 10.9 percent jobless, a difference of 1.8 percent. The national rate was 9.1 precent, which means Mississippi was not doing as well compared to the national average last year at this time.

Rankin County had the lowest unemployment rate at 5 percent, followed by Madison County at 5.8. The highest numbers come from Clay County (16.4) and Jefferson and Holmes Counties (16.2 each), all of which had rates above 16 percent. Twenty-six counties had rates below or equal to the state average.

For a breakdown and county by county info, click here.

Unemployment Drops Just Slightly for August