Six counties in far west Kentucky recorded the largest increases in annual unemployment rates from 2016 to 2017. That’s according to a release from the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics on Monday.
Those counties include Hickman (+1.4%), Carlisle (+0.6%) and Fulton, Livingston, McCracken and McLean counties (+0.3% each). The other counties in Kentucky include Jackson (+0.6%) and Bath (+0.4).
The unemployment rate in the Jackson Purchase remained unchanged from 2016 at 5.8 percent. Ballard County had the highest rate at 7.6 percent after reaching 8.9 percent the previous year. Fulton and Hickman counties followed at 7.2 and 7.1 percent respectively. Calloway County had the lowest rate in the region at 4.4 percent.
The Pennyrile region decreased their unemployment rate from 6 percent in 2016 to 5.7 percent in 2017. Livingston County had the highest rate at 7.5 percent in 2017, an increase from 7.2 percent in 2016. Muhlenberg County followed with 6.7 percent. Todd County had the lowest rate in the region with 4.1 percent.
Calloway, Daviess and Logan counties matched the 2017 national rate of 4.4 percent.
Statewide, unemployment rates decreased in 80 counties in 2017 compared to 2016. Unemployment increased in 24 counties and stagnated in 16.
Woodford County had the lowest annual jobless rate in the Commonwealth with a 3.3 percent. Magoffin County had the highest with 15.7 percent.
In 2017, 73 counties were above the state unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, while 45 were below. Two counties (Grant and Mercer) were the same rate.
