By David Howell

    Panola County’s unemployment rate is on the decline once again, dropping from  14.8 percent in May to 14.1 percent in June.

The June 2010 unemployment rate still ranks the highest June employment rate during the last five years, and is up almost a point from June, 2009. The average rate for the preceding five years was only 9.8 percent.

The labor statistics report that 2,060 Panolians are unemployed out of the county’s total 14,620 work force.

Mississippi’s unemployment rate for June was 11.1 percent, decreasing one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month’s rate of 11.2 percent. When compared to the June 2009 rate of 10.1 percent, the rate increased 1 percentage point.

The nation’s unemployment rate for June 2010 at 9.6 percent was up three-tenths of a percentage point over the month, but was one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the year ago rate of 9.7 percent.

For the month, only 17 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 11.1 percent.

Unemployment rates decreased or remained unchanged over the month in twelve counties. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of May at 7.1 percent followed by Madison County at 7.8 percent.

Sixteen counties reported rates greater than or equal to 15.0 percent with two counties reporting rates greater than 20.0 percent. Noxubee County had the highest unemployment rate for June at 22.1 percent.