Education Cabinet
Jobless rates up in 63 counties from March 2005 to March 2006

EDITORS NOTE: March county unemployment rate charts are posted at http://workforce.ky.gov/Mar06charts.pdf. Acrobat Reader is required to view charts. To download Acrobat Reader, please see the end of this news release.

FRANKFORT — Unemployment rates rose in 63 Kentucky counties between March 2005 and March 2006, fell in 47 counties and stayed the same in 10 counties, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training in the Education Cabinet. 

In March 2006, 10 counties had a jobless rate at or above 10 percent compared to seven counties that recorded double-digit rates in March 2005.

Woodford County’s 4.8 percent jobless rate was the lowest in the commonwealth. Other low rates were recorded in Fayette and Oldham counties, 4.9 percent each; Boone and Scott counties, 5 percent each; Jessamine County, 5.1 percent; and Gallatin, Madison, Warren and Webster counties, 5.2 percent each.

Magoffin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate — 11.9 percent. It was followed by Jackson County, 11.4 percent; Clay County, 11.1 percent; Menifee and Todd counties, 10.9 percent each; McCreary and Morgan counties, 10.8 percent each; Wolfe County, 10.2 percent; and Leslie and Lewis counties, 10.1 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 counties figures.

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

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