Clark County’s unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) is at 5.1% for August 2023, according to a preliminary county-by-county report released this month by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services

This is down three-tenths of a percentage point, from 5.4% in July, and up two-tenths of a percentage point from 4.9% in June.

According to the report, Clark County had a labor force of 8,581 persons with 8,142 employed and 439 unemployed in August. This compares to July’s labor force of 8,340 with 7,891 employed and 449 unemployed.

Statewide, Arkansas’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point, from 2.6% in July to 2.7% in August, while the national jobless rate rose three-tenths of a percentage point, from 3.5% in July to 3.8% in August. In August, the civilian labor force in Arkansas increased by 2,556 while adding 895 more employed Arkansans, according to the ADWS report. Both remain at record-high levels. Unemployment rose for the first time since October 2022, with 1,661 more Arkansans actively looking for work in August.

Of the six neighboring Southwest Arkansas counties surveyed, each reported an decrease in jobless rates from July to August. Counties are listed with their county seats in parentheses: i.e., Clark County (Arkadelphia):

The unemployment rate for Dallas County (Fordyce) is at 3.7% for August, down from 3.8% in July. Dallas County reports a labor force of 2,641.

The unemployment rate for Hot Spring County (Malvern) is at 3.6% for August, down from 3.7% in July. Hot Spring County reports a labor force of 13,859.

The unemployment rate for Montgomery County (Mt. Ida) is at 4.5% for August, down from 4.9% in July. Montgomery County reports a labor force of 2,979.

The unemployment rate for Nevada County (Prescott) is at 4.0% for August, down from 4.1% in July. Nevada County reports a labor force of 3,312.

The unemployment rate for Ouachita County (Camden) is at 3.7% for August, down from 3.8% in July. Ouachita County reports a labor force of 9,587.

The unemployment rate for Pike County (Murfreesboro) is at 3.4% for August, down from 3.6% in July. Pike County reports a labor force of 4,183.