Unemployment in Newton County rose up three-tenths of a point in the final month of 2024, according to the latest report from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
The MDES reported that the county’s unemployment rate for December was at 3.5 percent. The rate is seven-tenths of a point higher than in December of 2023, when it was reported to be at 2.8 percent.
The county’s rate of 3.5 percent comes in as the 23rd lowest in the state, sharing the ranking with seven other counties: Lauderdale, Leake, Oktibbeha, Simpson, Tallahatchie, and Webster.
The estimated number of unemployed in Newton County for the month of November rose by 20 since November 2024, up to 280, while the number of employed increased by 100, up to 7,700. The county’s civilian labor force increased by 80, coming in at 7,980.
Mississippi’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2024 at 3.5 percent increased three-tenths of a percentage point over the month. When compared to the December 2023 rate of 2.6 percent, the rate increased nine-tenths of a percentage point. The Nation’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2024 at 3.8 percent decreased two-tenths of a percentage point over the month but increased three-tenths of a percentage point from the year ago rate of 3.5 percent.
For the month of December 2024, thirty counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 3.5 percent. Lafayette and Union Counties posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of December at 2.5 percent followed by Rankin County at 2.6 percent. Jefferson County had the highest unemployment rate for December at 13.3 percent followed by Claiborne County at 8.4 percent.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2024 at 3.3 percent increased two-tenths of a percentage point over the month. The rate reported an over the year increase of one-tenth of a percentage point from 3.2 in December 2023. The Nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 4.1 percent decreased one-tenth of a percentage point over the month but was three-tenths of a percentage point higher over the year.
In December 2024, there were 1,600 fewer jobs in Mississippi than in November 2024, according to the seasonally adjusted results from a survey of
