Mississippi has seen continued job growth with unemployment rates hitting their lowest mark in 12 years.
Local media in Starkville said that the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) announced that the state’s seasonal unemployment rate fell below 5.6 percent in December.
Those numbers have not been that low since January of 2004.
The counties with the lowest unemployment were Choctaw and Calhoun, both sitting at 5.1 percent.
In Mississippi there are around 72,200 people unemployed which is the lowest figure for the state since July 2001. December decreased from November at 5.7 percent unemployment.
4,200 jobs were added to the labor force in December, which officials say is encouraging for economic growth in the coming year.
Only five counties in Mississippi have unemployment rates higher than 10 percent: Issaquena (17.2 percent), Jefferson (12.8 percent), Humphreys (11.8 percent), Claiborne (11.4 percent), and Holmes (10.8 percent).
