The month of April numbers are in and Polk County ranked the second lowest unemployment rate out of 100 counties in the state for April.
Polk County’s unemployment rate only dropped 0.6 percent from its March rate, but it moved Polk from the third lowest in the state to the second lowest, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.
Polk County’s rate decreased from 4.8 percent in March to 4.2 percent in April. Polk County’s April 2013 unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.
Polk was just below Orange County’s 4 percent unemployment rate in April, which was the lowest in the state. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 11.6 percent.
The statewide unemployment rate was six percent, which was 0.6 percent lower than the statewide rate in March.
Polk followed the statewide trend of counties dropping unemployment rates for the month of April compared to March. There were 99 North Carolina counties who saw a decrease in their rates, with only one, Greene County increasing.
Henderson County’s rate also decreased from 5.2 percent in March to 4.6 percent in April. Henderson County ranked the sixth lowest in the state for April, which was also its ranking in March.