Kentucky Releases Jobless Rates

Data shows McCreary with 6.1% unemployment rate.

By Eugenia Jones
eugenia@highland.net

Earlier this month, Kentucky released county unemployment data for February 2021. Unemployment rates rose in 69 Kentucky counties between February 2020 and February 2021, fell in 43, and stayed the same in eight counties, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
In the current February 2021 statistics, McCreary County had a county labor force of 4,822 and a 6.1% unemployment rate. 4,527 McCreary Countians were employed with 295 unemployed. The 6.1% rate of unemployment reflected a slight increase from the previous month of January 2021 when the unemployment rate was 6.0%. McCreary County’s unemployment rate is down one half of a percent from February of last year when the unemployment rate was 6.6%
McCreary County led the Lake Cumberland District (LCD) with the highest unemployment rate. In the LCD, Green County had the lowest unemployment with 3.7%. Wayne County recorded a 5% unemployment rate with Pulaski County showing a 5.4% unemployment rate.
The unemployment rate for the state in February 2021 was 5.0% with a comparable U. S. rate of 6.6%. Oldham and Todd counties recorded the lowest jobless rates in the Commonwealth of Kentucky at 3.5%. Magoffin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate at 15.2%.
The rates are not seasonally adjusted and do not reflect statistical trends by removing seasonal influences such as weather changes, harvests, holidays, school openings and closings.