Education Cabinet
Jobless rates up in 114 counties from October 2004 to October 2005

EDITORS NOTE: October county unemployment rate charts are posted at http://workforce.ky.gov/Oct05charts.pdf. Acrobat Reader is required to view charts. To download Acrobat Reader, please see the end of this news release.

Unemployment rates rose in 114 Kentucky counties between October 2004 and October 2005, fell in five counties and stayed the same in one county, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training in the Education Cabinet.

In October 2005, two counties had a jobless rate at or above 10 percent compared to one county that recorded double-digit rates in October 2004.

Woodford County’s 3.7 percent jobless rate was the lowest in the commonwealth. Other low rates were recorded in Jessamine and Scott counties, 4.1 percent each; Anderson, Fayette, Franklin, Madison and Oldham counties, 4.2 percent each; Warren County, 4.4 percent; and Calloway and Webster counties, 4.5 percent each.

Christian County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate - 12.7 percent. It was followed by Magoffin County, 10.5 percent; Muhlenberg County, 9.6 percent; Elliott County, 8.6 percent; Wolfe County, 8.4 percent; Clay, Leslie, Lewis and Rockcastle counties, 8.2 percent each; and Morgan County, 8.1 percent.  

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.

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