Flathead County’s jobless rate held steady at 10.6 percent in December, the same mark as a month earlier, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. The non-seasonally adjusted rate is 1.5 percentage points lower than it was one year ago.
The county’s unemployment rate is still the sixth highest in the state. Neighboring Lincoln County has the highest jobless rate in Montana at 15.5 percent.
At the state level, Montana’s unemployment rate fell for a fifth straight month.
Montana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December dropped 0.3 percentage points to 6.8 percent in December. The national unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in December.
Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly said Tuesday the state’s employment growth gained momentum in the second half of 2011, in part due to a strong agricultural economy and the oil activity in the eastern part of the state.
December’s job counts show over 7,000 jobs added last year, including 1,660 jobs in December.
Kelly says the strong employment growth in the last half of 2011 signals an even stronger economy ahead.
Here are the jobless rates for every county.
Flathead unemployment rates by month:
December 2011: 10.6%
November 2011: 10.6%
October 2011: 10.9%
September 2011: 9.9%
August 2011: 10.2%
July 2011: 10.4%
June 2011: 11.4%
May 2011: 11.2%
April 2011: 12.7%
March 2011: 13.1%
February 2011: 13.2 %
January 2011: 14.1%
December 2010: 12.1%