The recession has hit rural communities hard and led to spikes in unemployment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In December alone, the nation’s 2,048 rural counties lost 282,000 jobs. According to the Daily Yonder, a Web site devoted to rural issues, Louisiana’s rural parishes had a 6.2% unemployment rate in December. While that’s a bit above the state average of 5.9% in December, it’s better than the national average of 7.2% unemployment in rural counties and parishes. Twenty of the 50 rural counties with the highest monthly unemployment rate are in Michigan, a state hard hit by the declining U.S. auto industry. St. Helena Parish was ranked among the 50 rural areas that saw the biggest jump in unemployment since December 2007; the rate there jumped from 7.6% in 2007 to 10.2%. Click here to see the full report.
La. rural unemployment rate below national average
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