Lincoln County’s jobless rate dropped for February, but so did the size of the county’s workforce.

According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, 14,270 residents of Lincoln County were able and available to work in February, and 13,900 of those were employed; 370 were unemployed, or 2.6 percent of the workforce.

In January, 510 individuals said they were looking for work but could not find jobs — 3.5 percent of the 14,350 in the county’s workforce. So the available workforce dropped by 80 persons, but the number of people out of work dropped by 140 from 510. All other factors remaining the same, 60 more individuals were able to find work in February than in the first month of the year.

In February 2023, the county had 450 unemployed from 14,340, or 3.1 percent. The average over the previous 12 months was also 3.1 percent, ranging from as high as 4.1 in July to as low as 2.5 in November.

Lincoln’s 2.6 unemployment rate is below the state average for February of 2.8, and the national rate of 4.2. In Mississippi, 33,800 of 1.22 million were out of work. In the U.S., 6.97 million were unemployed from a labor force of 167,285,000.

Union County had the lowest percentage of unemployed, at 1.9 percent, representing 270 people. The lowest number of employed persons in a county was in Issaquena — 20 people, but ranking at 6.4 percent.

The county with the highest unemployment rate was Jefferson County at 10.1 percent, or 180 people. The highest number of individuals out of work in a single county was in Hinds — 2,680 people, or 2.7 percent of that county’s workforce.

Counties bordering Lincoln County had the following unemployment rates for February: Franklin 3.0; Copiah 3.1; Lawrence 3.3; Amite 3.4; Pike 3.5; and Walthall 3.7.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines an individual as employed if they are age 16 or older and did any work at all for pay or profit during the surveyed week — including all part-time and temporary work.

Unemployed individuals are those who do not have a job, but have actively looked for work during the previous four weeks, and are currently available for work. These two groups together make up the labor force. Full-time students, active duty members of the Armed Forces, and those in institutions are not included.