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 August 2023, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—nearly the same as the same month last year, and up about 0.3 percentage points from July. 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 August 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. Marion County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,718 people (399 unemployed)
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#49. Tate County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,838 people (483 unemployed)
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#48. Hancock County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,700 people (764 unemployed)
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#47. Lowndes County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,271 people (990 unemployed)
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#46. Jones County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,666 people (1,004 unemployed)
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#45. Tallahatchie County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,297 people (181 unemployed)
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#44. Calhoun County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,038 people (214 unemployed)
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#43. Winston County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,063 people (295 unemployed)
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#42. Lincoln County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,217 people (604 unemployed)
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#41. Marshall County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,948 people (604 unemployed)
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#40. Monroe County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 15,287 people (657 unemployed)
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#39. Warren County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 18,703 people (796 unemployed)
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#38. Benton County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,990 people (132 unemployed)
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#37. Yalobusha County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,651 people (205 unemployed)
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#36. Newton County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,755 people (343 unemployed)
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#35. Yazoo County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,660 people (381 unemployed)
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#34. Copiah County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,701 people (476 unemployed)
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#33. Neshoba County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 9,554 people (430 unemployed)
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#32. Lawrence County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,850 people (222 unemployed)
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#31. Clarke County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,393 people (246 unemployed)
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#30. Attala County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,611 people (301 unemployed)
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#29. Jasper County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,753 people (269 unemployed)
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#28. Wayne County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,728 people (319 unemployed)
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#27. Bolivar County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,490 people (498 unemployed)
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#26. Panola County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 11,963 people (559 unemployed)
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#25. Carroll County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,104 people (148 unemployed)
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#24. Chickasaw County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,181 people (299 unemployed)
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#23. Perry County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,158 people (202 unemployed)
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#22. Greene County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,040 people (204 unemployed)
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#21. Pike County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,517 people (681 unemployed)
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#20. Walthall County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,722 people (245 unemployed)
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#19. George County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,466 people (437 unemployed)
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#18. Adams County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 10,555 people (554 unemployed)
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#17. Kemper County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,098 people (168 unemployed)
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#16. Jefferson Davis County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,894 people (209 unemployed)
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#15. Amite County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,095 people (225 unemployed)
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#14. Quitman County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,155 people (120 unemployed)
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#13. Franklin County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,483 people (138 unemployed)
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#12. Leflore County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 8,826 people (492 unemployed)
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#11. Sunflower County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,867 people (394 unemployed)
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#10. Coahoma County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,181 people (417 unemployed)
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#9. Washington County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,940 people (852 unemployed)
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#8. Noxubee County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,150 people (198 unemployed)
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#7. Sharkey County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,173 people (76 unemployed)
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#6. Wilkinson County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,561 people (169 unemployed)
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#5. Holmes County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,934 people (346 unemployed)
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#4. Issaquena County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 280 people (21 unemployed)
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#3. Humphreys County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,830 people (149 unemployed)
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#2. Claiborne County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,837 people (273 unemployed)
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#1. Jefferson County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 14.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,843 people (273 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.