The unemployment rate for Newton County reached 3.6 percent in February, according to latest reports from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The 3.6 percent rate came down two-tenths of a point from 3.8 percent in January.
February’s rate continues the trend of the lowest unemployment rate that Newton County has experienced since the Mississippi Department of Employment Security started recording the state’s unemployment rate in 1990. The county’s rate from February of 2022 was nine-tenths of a point higher at 4.5 percent.
Newton County’s February unemployment rate tied for the 44th lowest in the state with five other counties: Attala, Calhoun, Monroe, Montgomery, and Neshoba.
The total civilian labor force for Newton County is estimated to be 7,790 for the month of February, with 280 being unemployed.
Mississippi’s unemployment rate came in at 3.2 percent, three-tenths of a point down from 3.5 percent in January, and a full point down from the February 2022 rate of 4.2 percent.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2023 was 3.7 percent, an over the month decrease of two-tenths of a percentage point from 3.9 in January. The rate decreased three-tenths of a percentage point when compared to February 2022.
At 1,179,700 jobs, the current number of jobs in Mississippi is the highest number of jobs ever recorded in the state. In February 2023, there were 2,500 more jobs in Mississippi than in January, and 17,600 more than February 2022, according to the seasonally adjusted results from a survey of Mississippi employers. The Leisure & Hospitality sector registered the largest over the month increase.
