State’s unemployment rate balloons to 11.5 percent

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi’s unemployment rate for July rose to 11.5 percent.

The jobless rate was 11.1 percent in June and 10.4 percent in July 2009.

Figures were released yesterday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

For July, only 21 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 11.5 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of July at 6.9 percent followed by Lamar County at 8.0 percent.

Twenty-four counties reported rates greater than or equal to 15.0 percent with four counties reporting rates greater than 20.0 percent.

Holmes County had the highest unemployment rate for July at 22.7 percent followed by Noxubee County at 22.4 percent.