Scurry County’s unemployment rate dropped by almost one percentage point, according to figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
In April, the county had an unemployment rate of 5 percent, down from 5.9 percent in March and 5.6 percent in April 2016.
According to the TWC, the county had 6,951 people in the workforce in April and 345 were classified as unemployed. In March, the county had 7,020 people in the workforce with 411 classified as unemployed. In April 2016, the county had 8,041 people in the workforce with 448 classified as unemployed.
Borden County had the lowest unemployment rate in the region at 2.6 percent while Kent County had a rate of 2.9 percent. Mitchell County had the highest rate in the region at 6.4 percent.
Other county unemployment rates were Garza, 3.4 percent; Andrews, 3.7 percent; Coke, 3.8 percent; Fisher, 3.9 percent; Nolan, 4.5 percent; Howard, 5 percent; and Dawson 6.1 percent.
The Texas economy expanded in April with the addition of 30,400 seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5 percent.
“Texas employers continue to create jobs in the broad-based Texas economy with 10 of the 11 industries expanding over the year,” said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar.
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded the month’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 3 percent, followed by the Austin-Round Rock, College Station-Bryan and Lubbock MSAs with a rate of 3.2 percent. The Midland MSA registered a rate of 3.5 percent for April.