The unemployment rate for Lincoln County in the month of July dropped some from June as the labor force climbed by 180 workers.

The county’s civilian work force was 15,090, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, with 880 persons reporting they were looking for work but were unable to find employment. That’s a percentage of 5.8, placing Lincoln in a three-way tie with Hinds and Tishomingo counties for the 19th-lowest rate in the state for the summer month.

In June, 890 people were without work. With the increase in work force of 180 additional work-eligible people seeking employment, this means only 10 additional individuals were unable to find jobs. Others found jobs, joined the military, became full-time students or were otherwise no longer considered jobless for the month of July.

Twenty-six counties of the state’s 82 were at or below the state average of 6.1 percent for July. None were below the national average of 4 percent — 6,063,000 unemployed from a work force of more than 163.3 million.

Rankin County remained in the spot with the lowest jobless rate (4.2 percent), while Jefferson County anchored the group with the highest rate (18.3). Rankin had 3,300 unemployed from a work force of 77,790. Jefferson had 380 unemployed from a work force of 2,070.

Lincoln County’s 5.8 jobless rate is higher than that of July 2018, when it was 5.3, but is lower than the previous four years, when it ranged from 5.9 to 7.2 percent. The county’s moving average is a labor force of 14,590 with 720 (4.9 percent) unemployed.

Monthly estimates of the labor force, employment, unemployment and unemployment rate are generated by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program, a cooperative effort between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and State Employment Security agencies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines an individual employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the survey week; this includes all part-time and temporary work as well as full time year round employment. Unemployed individuals are those who do not have a job, have actively looked for work during the past four weeks and are currently available for work. The sum of employed and unemployed produces the Civilian Labor Force.