Numbers released this week show Marion County’s unemployment rate has dropped to the lowest in nearly two decades.
The last time unemployment was as low as September’s 4.8 percent was May 1998, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
The county has added about 180 new jobs over the past year.
Marion County had 10,350 people in the labor force and 9,850 of them had jobs in September.
Labor force participation is a key measurement because it shows whether the economy actually created new jobs or if more people just left the job market by getting frustrated and quitting searching or by moving away. In Marion County, the labor force numbers show that the local economy truly added jobs.
In September 2016, there were roughly the same number of people in Marion County’s labor force (10,340 versus 10,350 now) but just 9,670 jobs versus 9,850 now.
The state unadjusted unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, while the national rate is a little lower at 4.1 percent.
The unemployment rate for nearby counties is:
Lamar, 3.5 percent
Forrest, 4.4 percent
Jones, 4.8 percent
Pearl River, 4.9 percent
Walthall, 5.7 percent
Lawrence, 5.9 percent
Jeff Davis, 6.2 percent
