State unemployment jumps to 12 percent

Mississippi’s un- employment rate for January 2010 was 12.0 percent. The
Nation’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2010 at 10.6 percent was up ninetenths
of a percentage point over the month and was 2.1 percentage points higher than the year ago
rate of 8.5 percent.
Results from Mississippi’s nonfarm employment survey, which is counted by the location of
establishments, reported a not seasonally adjusted decrease of 15,400 in employment over the
month and a decrease of 31,000 from one year ago. Industry sectors registering the largest monthly
employment losses were Trade, Transportation & Utilities; Government; Leisure & Hospitality;
Educational & Health Services; and Construction.
For the month of January 2010, only twenty-two counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates
less than or equal to the state’s rate of 12.0 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment
rate for the month of January at 8.0 percent followed by DeSoto County at 8.3 percent. Seventy-four
counties reported double-digit rates for the month with four counties reporting rates greater than 20.0
percent. Holmes and Noxubee Counties had the highest unemployment rate for January at 23.1
percent.