More people entered the workforce in Lincoln County for October, resulting in higher unemployment numbers.

In Lincoln County, 940 people were without jobs in October, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

More than 13,800 people from the county’s available workforce of 14,750 people had jobs for the month. The 940 unemployed make up 6.4% of Lincoln County’s available workers, not including farm labor, full-time students or active military.

The additional 60 more unemployed than September’s 880 are also 60 new additions to the workforce.

Lincoln was one of 26 counties below the state average of 7%. In the past five years, the county’s average unemployment rate in October was 5%.

Rankin County had the lowest unemployment percentage once again at 4.2%, while Lincoln County’s neighbor Jefferson County had the highest, 17.2%. Jefferson County has a workforce of 1,940, one of the lowest in the state and 40 fewer than the previous month, and 330 of those were unable to find work in September. Rankin County, conversely, has one of the largest workforces in the state with 76,580; 3,250 of those were unemployed in September. Rankin had 80 fewer people in the workforce for October than the previous month, and 290 additional people out of work.

Lincoln County’s other neighbors had the following October unemployment rates: Franklin 7.5%, Copiah 7.6%, Lawrence and Walthall at 8.1% each, Amite at 8.6% and Pike with 8.9%.

WIN Job Center lobbies are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Services are available, however, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. (4 p.m. on Wednesday) by calling 601-833-3511.

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.