By STACKER
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Counties with the highest unemployment in Arkansas
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 Arkansas 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. Cross County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,905 people (186 unemployed)
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#49. Randolph County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,241 people (198 unemployed)
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#48. Greene County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,097 people (539 unemployed)
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#47. Cleveland County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,126 people (87 unemployed)
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#46. Fulton County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,986 people (140 unemployed)
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#45. Howard County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,411 people (151 unemployed)
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#44. Hot Spring County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,948 people (384 unemployed)
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#43. White County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 34,492 people (979 unemployed)
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#42. Perry County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,243 people (123 unemployed)
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#41. Little River County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,190 people (150 unemployed)
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#40. Polk County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,961 people (230 unemployed)
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#39. Baxter County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,500 people (474 unemployed)
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#38. Sevier County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,508 people (167 unemployed)
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#37. Yell County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,055 people (243 unemployed)
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#36. Miller County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,683 people (558 unemployed)
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#35. Pope County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 27,821 people (838 unemployed)
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#34. Garland County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 42,200 people (1,265 unemployed)
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#33. Marion County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,240 people (194 unemployed)
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#32. Logan County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,248 people (255 unemployed)
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#31. Conway County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,344 people (259 unemployed)
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#30. Woodruff County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,934 people (93 unemployed)
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#29. Johnson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,139 people (322 unemployed)
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#28. Monroe County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,599 people (86 unemployed)
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#27. Sharp County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,885 people (192 unemployed)
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#26. Ouachita County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,715 people (323 unemployed)
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#25. Dallas County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,724 people (93 unemployed)
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#24. Lincoln County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,752 people (126 unemployed)
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#23. Stone County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,565 people (153 unemployed)
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#22. Van Buren County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,958 people (200 unemployed)
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#21. Drew County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,563 people (259 unemployed)
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#20. Cleburne County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,855 people (298 unemployed)
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#19. Crittenden County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,705 people (702 unemployed)
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#18. Clay County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,449 people (188 unemployed)
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#17. Columbia County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,909 people (310 unemployed)
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#16. Desha County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,980 people (185 unemployed)
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#15. Clark County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,362 people (307 unemployed)
RELATED: Jobless rate on decline locally (arkadelphian.com)
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#14. Union County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,752 people (546 unemployed)
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#13. Searcy County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,821 people (107 unemployed)
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#12. Izard County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,504 people (169 unemployed)
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#11. Mississippi County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,453 people (621 unemployed)
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#10. Jefferson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1 month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,641 people (964 unemployed)
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#9. St. Francis County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1 month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,479 people (295 unemployed)
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#8. Montgomery County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,878 people (114 unemployed)
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#7. Jackson County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,556 people (220 unemployed)
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#6. Lafayette County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1 month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,334 people (95 unemployed)
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#5. Lee County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,620 people (110 unemployed)
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#4. Bradley County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1 month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1 year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,071 people (170 unemployed)
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#3. Ashley County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1 month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,690 people (294 unemployed)
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#2. Chicot County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1 month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1 year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,961 people (140 unemployed)
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#1. Phillips County
– March unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1 month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1 year change: No change
– Total labor force: 5,588 people (313 unemployed)
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