Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
Jobless rates up in 113 counties from August 2007 to August 2008

EDITOR’S NOTE: August’s preliminary and July’s revised county unemployment rate charts are posted at http://workforce.ky.gov/Aug08charts.pdf. Acrobat Reader is required to view charts. To download Acrobat Reader, please see the end of this news release.

FRANKFORT, Ky.  — Unemployment rates rose in 113 Kentucky counties between August 2007 and August 2008 and fell in seven counties, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

Woodford County recorded the lowest jobless rate in the commonwealth at 4.7 percent. Other counties with low unemployment rates were Fayette County, 5 percent; Warren County, 5.2 percent; Calloway and Robertson counties, 5.4 percent each; Barren, Livingston and Webster counties, 5.5 percent each; and Carlisle, Jessamine and Madison counties, 5.6 percent each.

Magoffin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate — 10.7 percent. It was followed by Jackson County, 10.4 percent; Grayson County, 9.9 percent; Clay County, 9.8 percent; McCreary and Wolfe counties, 9.5 percent each; Harlan County, 9.3 percent; Muhlenberg County, 9.2 percent; and Elliott and Lewis counties, 9.1 percent each.

Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working. Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks. The statistics in this news release are not seasonally adjusted to allow for comparisons between United States, state and county figures.

Learn more about the Office of Employment and Training at www.workforce.ky.gov.

 (30)

Click http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html to download Acrobat Reader.