In Lincoln County during November, 450 people reported they were looking for work but could not find it. It’s a larger number of unemployed at Christmas than in 2023, and more than the previous month.

With an employment rate of 3.1 percent, the county had a labor force of 14,770 and 14,320 individuals employed. The labor force is the total number of employed people and unemployed actively seeking employment.

The Mississippi Department of Labor defines a person as employed if they did any work at all as paid employees; worked in their own business, profession or farm; or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an enterprise operated by a family member; and those who were not working but had jobs from which they were temporarily absent, regardless of whether they were on paid or unpaid leave.

Lincoln County’s unemployment rate was 2.8 in October (410 individuals). One year ago, Lincoln County’s unemployment rate was only 2.5 (360 people), but it was 3.2 and 3.4 in 2022 and 2021, and 5.8 and 5.4 in 2020 and 2019. The county’s 12-month average was 2.9 percent, or 420 people.

Mississippi’s average unemployment was 3.2 for November (40,700 unemployed from a labor force of 1,276,300), and the national rate was 4.0 (6.7 million from 168.1 million).

Lincoln was one of five counties with a 3.1 rate, and one of the 24 counties in the state with the lowest rates.

Counties bordering Lincoln had the following November rates: Copiah, 3.6; Lawrence, 3.7; Amite, 4.0; Pike and Walthall, 4.1; Franklin, 4.4; and Jefferson, 11.3. Jefferson had the highest rate, though it represents only 210 people from a labor force of 1,810.

Lafayette and Union counties had the lowest rates, at 2.2 each. Lafayette had 670 unemployed from a labor force of 30,290; and Union had 340 out of work from a labor force of 15,160.

The county with the largest labor force was Hinds, with 105,070, and an unemployment rate of 3.1, though it represented 3,290 people without jobs. Issaquena County had the smallest labor force — only 300 — and had just 20 people unemployed, but its rate was 7.7.