Dillon County tied for tenth place in the state in unemployment with McCormick and Clarendon counties with a rate of 15.5 percent, according to the latest statistics from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.
South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 11.0 percent in August from a revised rate of 10.7 percent in July. This is an increase of 0.3 of a percentage point from July’s revised rate, and 1.1 percentage points below the August 2009 rate. Over the month, the number of employed persons decreased 1,716 (-0.1 percent), and the number of unemployed rose by 6,345 (2.76 percent). This resulted in an increase in the labor force (employed + unemployed) of 4,629 to 2,147,429. This is the first rise in the labor force since March of 2010.
Nationally, the August unemployment rate rose from 9.5 percent to 9.6 percent. The national labor force also grew in August by 550,000, with movements upward in employment (+290,000) and unemployment (+261,000).
Also ranked in the top ten were: Marion, Allendale, Marlboro, Union, Chester, Barnewell, Bamberg, Lancaster and Orangeburg.