Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, though experts’ views on a potential recession are mixed. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2007-2009—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of April 2023, national unemployment is at 3.4%, with little change from March. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.9% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Nevada.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Mississippi using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2023, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain.
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#50. Tate County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,109 people (387 unemployed)
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#49. Marshall County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,191 people (455 unemployed)
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#48. Warren County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,964 people (606 unemployed)
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#47. Oktibbeha County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,306 people (711 unemployed)
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#46. Jones County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,995 people (805 unemployed)
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#45. Jackson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 58,455 people (1,848 unemployed)
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#44. Newton County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,861 people (260 unemployed)
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#43. Neshoba County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,658 people (320 unemployed)
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#42. Hancock County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,946 people (621 unemployed)
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#41. Tunica County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,141 people (141 unemployed)
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#40. Calhoun County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: No change
– Total labor force: 5,294 people (181 unemployed)
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#39. Attala County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,853 people (231 unemployed)
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#38. Perry County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,221 people (148 unemployed)
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#37. Clarke County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,548 people (192 unemployed)
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#36. Wayne County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,888 people (240 unemployed)
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#35. George County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,650 people (301 unemployed)
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#34. Copiah County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,784 people (377 unemployed)
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#33. Lawrence County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,799 people (173 unemployed)
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#32. Bolivar County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,014 people (402 unemployed)
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#31. Pike County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,779 people (502 unemployed)
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#30. Jefferson Davis County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,866 people (144 unemployed)
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#29. Jasper County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,841 people (217 unemployed)
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#28. Benton County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: No change
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,040 people (115 unemployed)
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#27. Panola County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: No change
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,128 people (461 unemployed)
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#26. Amite County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,211 people (165 unemployed)
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#25. Greene County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,132 people (166 unemployed)
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#24. Tallahatchie County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,553 people (184 unemployed)
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#23. Walthall County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,843 people (193 unemployed)
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#22. Chickasaw County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,370 people (252 unemployed)
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#21. Sharkey County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,271 people (52 unemployed)
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#20. Yalobusha County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1 month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,656 people (189 unemployed)
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#19. Franklin County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,593 people (108 unemployed)
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#17. Carroll County (tie)
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,218 people (135 unemployed)
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#17. Kemper County (tie)
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,200 people (135 unemployed)
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#16. Monroe County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,265 people (642 unemployed)
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#15. Montgomery County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1 month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,897 people (168 unemployed)
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#14. Noxubee County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,313 people (146 unemployed)
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#13. Adams County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1 month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,395 people (453 unemployed)
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#12. Quitman County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,247 people (101 unemployed)
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#11. Coahoma County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,430 people (345 unemployed)
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#10. Washington County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,260 people (666 unemployed)
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#9. Sunflower County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,105 people (341 unemployed)
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#8. Grenada County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1 month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,583 people (412 unemployed)
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#7. Leflore County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1 month change: No change
— 1 year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,036 people (432 unemployed)
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#6. Wilkinson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,565 people (126 unemployed)
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#5. Holmes County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,045 people (261 unemployed)
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#4. Humphreys County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,917 people (110 unemployed)
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#3. Claiborne County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,820 people (171 unemployed)
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#2. Issaquena County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1 month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 303 people (20 unemployed)
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#1. Jefferson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,755 people (148 unemployed)