The 12.1 percent unemployment number for Pine Bluff in February remained unchanged from the January reading according to data released Tuesday by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.
The December 2011 unemployment number for Pine Bluff was 11.5 percent. Jefferson County reported 10.5 percent unemployment rate for February, a slight decrease from the 10.6 percent rate in January.
The December 2011 reading for Jefferson County was 10 percent.
The highest unemployment rate in the state for February was West Memphis at 13.5 percent.
There was a tie for the lowest unemployment rate with both Bentonville and Sherwood reporting 5.9 percent for the month of February.
The Arkansas unemployment rate for February was 7.6 percent, which is less than the national rate of 8.3 percent recorded for the month.
“Employment in Arkansas increased 3,400 this month, marking the seventh consecutive month of employment growth,” ADWS Communications Director Kimberly Friedman said in a press release. “There are now 21,000 more employed Arkansans than in February 2011.”