Staff report
Rowan County’s jobless rate continued to register more than 7 percent in October, according to state labor force figures released Tuesday.
Rowan County’s unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in October, up slightly from 7.2 percent in September.
In August, the county had registered its highest jobless rate since the months following Pillowtex’s closing in the summer of 2003. The August unemployment rate was 8.1 percent.
The Employment Security Commission of North Carolina reported Rowan was among 61 counties whose unemployment percentage went up in October.
Rowan had a labor force of 73,138 in October. Of that number, 5,339 people were listed as unemployed.
Here are the jobless rates for counties touching Rowan:
– Cabarrus, 6.5 percent, up from 6.3 percent in September.
– Davidson, 8 percent, up from 7.4 percent.
– Davie, 7.3 percent, up from 6.9 percent.
– Iredell, 6.9 percent, up from 6.5 percent.
– Stanly, 7.4 percent, up from 7 percent.
The Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury combined statistical area had an unemployment rate in October of 7.4 percent, up from 7.1 percent in September.
The statewide jobless rate for October stood at 6.7 percent.