While today’s unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession. The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of October 2023, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—little changed from the previous month, and up about 0.2 percentage points from the same time last year. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.7% in Maryland to 5.4% in Nevada.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Mississippi using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in October 2023, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
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#50. Winston County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,981 people (203 unemployed)
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#49. Oktibbeha County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,175 people (651 unemployed)
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#48. Lowndes County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,425 people (702 unemployed)
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#47. Lauderdale County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 27,602 people (790 unemployed)
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#46. Jackson County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 56,951 people (1,639 unemployed)
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#45. Benton County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,936 people (89 unemployed)
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#44. Yalobusha County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,642 people (139 unemployed)
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#43. Lawrence County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,790 people (144 unemployed)
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#42. Yazoo County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,709 people (264 unemployed)
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#41. Bolivar County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,604 people (319 unemployed)
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#40. Copiah County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,689 people (325 unemployed)
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#39. Tate County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,716 people (350 unemployed)
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#38. Monroe County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,944 people (442 unemployed)
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#37. Warren County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,455 people (559 unemployed)
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#36. Montgomery County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,725 people (117 unemployed)
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#35. Greene County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,979 people (124 unemployed)
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#34. Perry County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,174 people (130 unemployed)
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#33. Wayne County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,656 people (206 unemployed)
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#32. Grenada County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,183 people (251 unemployed)
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#31. George County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,351 people (257 unemployed)
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#30. Carroll County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,108 people (101 unemployed)
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#29. Tallahatchie County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,391 people (139 unemployed)
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#28. Clarke County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,315 people (172 unemployed)
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#27. Jasper County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,674 people (181 unemployed)
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#26. Attala County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,600 people (208 unemployed)
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#25. Newton County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,686 people (251 unemployed)
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#24. Neshoba County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,401 people (313 unemployed)
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#23. Marshall County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,805 people (455 unemployed)
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#22. Amite County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,023 people (136 unemployed)
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#21. Franklin County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,438 people (85 unemployed)
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#20. Jefferson Davis County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,867 people (137 unemployed)
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#19. Walthall County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,666 people (162 unemployed)
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#18. Chickasaw County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,157 people (220 unemployed)
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#17. Adams County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,446 people (380 unemployed)
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#16. Panola County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,724 people (417 unemployed)
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#15. Pike County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,338 people (494 unemployed)
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#14. Quitman County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,147 people (88 unemployed)
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#13. Noxubee County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,173 people (129 unemployed)
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#12. Coahoma County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,182 people (303 unemployed)
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#11. Kemper County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,057 people (130 unemployed)
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#10. Leflore County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,801 people (378 unemployed)
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#9. Sharkey County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,174 people (52 unemployed)
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#8. Sunflower County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,934 people (308 unemployed)
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#7. Washington County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,807 people (606 unemployed)
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#6. Wilkinson County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,499 people (122 unemployed)
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#5. Holmes County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,936 people (240 unemployed)
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#4. Claiborne County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,742 people (169 unemployed)
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#3. Humphreys County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,858 people (118 unemployed)
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#2. Issaquena County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 289 people (21 unemployed)
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#1. Jefferson County
– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
— 1-month change: Down 3.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 3.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,708 people (137 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.