Unemployment rates for the Jackson Purchase and Pennyrile region continued to fall in March compared with data from 2018.
The Kentucky Center for Statistics said the Jackson Purchase saw a drop to 5% unemployment from 5.9% in March last year.
The rate for most counties in the Pennyrile fell a whole percentage point or more.
The report said there are nearly 9,000 unemployed people in both regions.
The county with the highest unemployment rate in the Jackson Purchase is Ballard with 6.3%.
Livingston’s rate fell to 6.5% from 8.2% last year-- but still holds the highest unemployment rate in the Pennyrile.
Magoffin County in eastern Kentucky recorded the state’s highest rate at 12.3 percent.
The overall state unemployment rate rose slightly compared to March 2018 to 4.4%. It’s still half a percentage point behind the national rate of 3.9%.
