The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission’s (OESC) monthly employment report for February shows that unemployment in Seminole County dropped over the past month but was higher than it was last year. This report contains the statistics for December 2022.

The latest report states that, across the state, unemployment rates in December were higher than a year earlier in 74 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, lower in 2 counties, and unchanged in 1 county. In the previous report for November, unemployment rates were higher than a year earlier in 75 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties and lower in 2 county.

In the January report Latimer County once again posted Oklahoma’s highest county unemployment rate of 5.8 percent, significantly lower than the 6.2 percent last month. Latimer County has claimed the highest rate of unemployment in the state for over two years. Last year, December 2021, the highest rate of unemployment in the state was 4.6 percent. McIntosh County once again held the second highest rate of unemployment, and Choctaw County remained in the third highest rate. Cimarron County once again reported the lowest county unemployment rate in the state, the 17th month in a row it has held this position. The 1.0 percent unemployment reported was less than the 1.4 percent reported last month. This rate is the same as last year.

The SEMINOLE COUNTY labor force dropped from 9,004 in November to 8,932 in December, according to the OESC report. The number of employed dropped from 8,617 in November to 8,599 in December. The number of unemployed dropped from 487 to 333.

The result of these changes was that unemployment dropped from 4.3 percent last month to 3.7 percent this month. This month’s rate was higher compared to the 2.9 percent unemployment Seminole County reported in December 2021. These changes caused Seminole’s unemployed ranking among the 77 counties in Oklahoma to drop from 72 to 69. The lower this number is, the better. The county with the highest rate of unemployment is 77, the county with the lowest unemployment is 1.

Neighboring HUGHES COUNTY reported unemployment dropped from 3.8 percent last month to 3.5 percent in the latest report. Last year their unemployment rate was 3.1 percent. They rose from the 65th position to the 66th.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY unemployment dropped to 3.9 percent to 3.4 percent. This improvement didn’t keep them for their state ranking from rising from the 52nd last month to 53rd in the latest report. The unemployment rate last year was 2.3 percent.

OKFUSKEE COUNTY’S ranking rose from 69th to 72nd, even though the unemployment rate dropped from 4.1 percent to 3.8 percent. This was a setback compared to the 2.9 percent reported in December 2021. PONTOTOC COUNTY, which usually has one of the lower rankings in the surrounding area, saw a negative change, jumping from the 14th position to 17th even though the unemployment rate dropped from 2.5 percent to 2.2 percent. Last year the unemployment rate was 1.9 percent.

It should be noted that the statistics in this report are an attempt to provide a snapshot of information and statistics that are constantly changing. The OESC report explains that each month, current employment statistics and local area unemployment statistics data is preliminary and data for the previous month is revised in their reports. This clarification is taken into consideration whenever making this monthly article. For example, in last month’s report the preliminary data showed that in November the labor force in Seminole was 8,979. In this month’s report the Seminole County November labor force was revised to 9004. When this happens, this report will use the revised figure. If the change is significant, the revision will be commented on.