Jobless rates for all 77 Oklahoma Counties increased in November, the Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission (OESC) reported last week.

According to the OESC, Seminole County posted a rate of 7.4 percent, a 40.7 percent increase over last November when the rate was the 4.9 percent.

The OESC report shows Seminole County had an available work force of 9,737 in November, but only 9,013 of those available were counted as employed.

In Hughes County, the rate increased from 4.9 percent in November 2019 to 8.0 percent, Pottawatomie County’s rate jumped from 3.6 percent to 6.0 percent and in Lincoln County, the rate climbed from 3.4 percent to 5.4 percent.

In November, Latimer County posted Oklahoma’s highest county unemployment rate of 10.8 percent. McIntosh County had the second-highest rate for the month, followed by Johnston County. Cimarron County posted the lowest county unemployment rate of 1.8 percent.

National statistics

Unemployment rates were higher in November than a year earlier in 386 of the 389 metropolitan areas and lower in three areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week.

A total of 63 areas had jobless rates of less than 4.0 percent, and 12 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent.

Nonfarm payroll employment decreased over the year in 242 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in 147 areas. The national unemployment rate in November was 6.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 3.3 percent a year earlier.

In November, El Centro, California, and KahuI ui-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii, had the highest unemployment rates, 16.4 percent and 16.0 percent, respectively. Ames, Iowa had the lowest unemployment rate of 2.0 percent.

A total of 272 areas had November jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 6.4 percent, 110 areas had rates above it, and seven areas had rates equal to that of the nation.

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in November occurred in Kahului- Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii (+13.5 percentage points), followed by Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey, and Odessa, Texas (+10.2 points each).

Rates rose over the year by at least 5.0 percentage points in an additional 23 areas. The largest over-the-year rate decrease occurred in El Centro, California (-2.3 percentage points).