Flathead County’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.5 percent in January, the highest mark since April 2011, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. The non-seasonally adjusted mark is 0.9 percentage points higher than a month earlier.
The county’s jobless rate is still 2.6 percentage points lower than it was in January 2011 when it hit a record-breaking 14.1 percent. Flathead’s current rate is the seventh-highest in the state. Neighboring Lincoln County has the highest unemployment rate in Montana at 18.1 percent.
Meanwhile, at the state level, Montana’s jobless rate continues to fall.
The state Department of Labor says Montana’s unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a point to 6.5 percent in January, marking six straight months of decreases.
The national unemployment rate also fell in January, to 8.3 percent.
Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says Montana’s economy continues to improve with stronger job growth. He says the agency has a positive outlook for 2012.
Here are the jobless rates for every county.
Flathead unemployment rates by month:
January 2012: 11.5%
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%