Seminole County claimed the unenviable spot of having Oklahoma’s second highest unemployment rate in July, according to the latest report from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC).

The OESC report, released Aug. 29, shows Seminole County posted a jobless rate of 5.2% in July, mirroring June’s rate. The report states that of the county’s available workforce of 8,890, only 8,429 workers were listed as employed. These figures resulted in Seminole County being ranked #76 in the state for joblessness in July, second only to Love County, which posted a rate of 5.4%.

Harmon County reported the lowest county unemployment rate of 1.9 percent in July. Unemployment rates in July were lower than a year earlier in 70 counties, higher in one county, and unchanged in six counties.

Data for nearby counties Hughes County saw its rate drop from 5.1% in June to 4.9% in July.

Pottawatomie County’s rate of 3.6% remained unchanged as compared to June.

Okfuskee County’s rate of 3.9% represents a drop of .03% from the June report.

Pontotoc County, which usually has one of the lower rankings in the surrounding area, saw unemployment drop from 3.1% in June to 2.9% in July.

Statewide statistics Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1 percent in July. The U.S. unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage point to 4.2 percent in July. Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage point from 3.3 percent in July 2024.

In July, statewide seasonally adjusted employment increased by 2,497 persons (0.1 percent), while unemployment decreased by 587 persons (-0.9 percent). Over the year, seasonally adjusted unemployment decreased by 3,299 persons (-5.1 percent).