It was already impressive enough to learn that Jackson County’s jobless rate dropped 4.3 percentage points in a year. But did you know that’s one of the biggest improvements in the country? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week that only two other communities in the country saw a greater dip in their unemployment rate from December 2009 to December 2010.
Both — Muskegon (4.8 percentage points) and Monroe (4.4 percent) — are in Michigan. In fact, the 10 biggest drops all took place in our Wolverine State.
Is the glass half empty or half full? A community’s jobless rate likely won’t fall so much unless it is high in the first place. Indeed, Jackson County’s 10.8 percent rate is still higher than the national average of 9.1 percent.
But it is a lot better than many communities nationally.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 14 communities have unemployment rates of more than 15 percent, led by El Centro, Calif. (28.3 percent) and Yuma, Ariz. (23.2 percent).
Comparisons count, and for Jackson County, they are looking pretty good — better than most places in the country.
