Mississippi unemployment rate at 7.5 percent, lowest since November 2008

14060431-smallJACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — New figures on Mississippi’s labor force show Clay County with the highest unemployment rate of 17.4 percent in January.

Mississippi Department of Employment Security records released Wednesday show Tunica County with a jobless rate of 17.3 percent.

Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate in January at 4.5 percent followed by DeSoto County at 5.3 percent.

All told, Mississippi had a seasonally adjusted rate of 7.5 percent — the lowest the state has seen since November 2008, when the rate was also 7.5 percent. The jobless rate was 8 percent in December 2013.

In January 2014, there were 10,000 more jobs in Mississippi than in January 2013, but 4,000 less than December 2013, according to the seasonally adjusted results from a survey of Mississippi employers.