Flathead County’s unemployment rate dropped precipitously in April, down from 12.7 percent in March to 10.5 percent, while Montana’s rate, though less dramatic, also fell.
Unemployment statewide for April was 6 percent, compared to 6.1 percent in March, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. The national rate is 8.9 percent.
Even with the decrease, Flathead County’s unemployment rate is still one of only four in the state at double digits. Northwest Montana continues to have the highest rates: Lincoln County has the highest at 14.7 percent, followed by Sanders at 13.4 and Mineral at 10.8, then Flathead.
The drop in Flathead County’s unemployment ended an eight-month streak in which the number of jobless in the county increased. During one three-month stretch, the rate ballooned from 7.3 to 12.2 percent.