Pearl River County’s unemployment rate remained at 26th in the state during the month of December

According to information released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, Pearl River County’s unemployment rate for the month of December was 7.1 percent, which is a decrease from November’s revised rate of 6.5 percent. Overall, the rate puts Pearl River County 26th on the unemployment list out of the state’s 82 counties. In November the county was ranked 26th. A year ago in December the county’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Mississippi in December was 7.2 percent, a decrease from November’s revised rate of 7.3 percent. In December of 2013 Mississippi’s adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8 percent.

Nationwide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December was 5.6 percent, a rate that decreased from 5.8 the previous month.

A year ago in December the nationwide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent.

Seasonally adjusted rates factor in patterns such as weather, holidays, school schedules and other occurrences that regularly affect employment rates. Only nationwide and statewide percentages are adjusted.

Mississippi’s unadjusted rate for December was 7.1 percent, the report states. The state’s unadjusted revised rate for November was 6.4 percent.

Mississippi’s unadjusted rate for December 2013 was 7.3 percent.

Nationwide, the unadjusted unemployment rate in December was 5.4 percent, which is one tenth of a percentage point decrease from November 2014. In December of the previous year, the unadjusted unemployment rate in the United States was 6.5 percent.

Of Mississippi’s 82 counties, 26 reported unemployment rates at or below the statewide-unadjusted average of 7.1 percent. Desoto County reported the least amount of unemployment with 4.4 percent. Rankin County followed with a rate of 4.5 percent.

Tunica County reported a population of the most unemployed with a rate of 14.7 percent while Clay County reported the second highest rate of 14.4 percent.