Chester County’s unemployment numbers lowest since 2001

Chester County’s unemployment rate dropped almost 1 percent in November to 7.1 percent, the lowest it has been in 14 years.

The last time the county’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent or lower was March 2001. For 2000 the county’s unemployment rate was 5.2 percent.

In October there were 1,106 people unemployed compared to 980 in November. It was the first time the number of unemployed has dropped below 1,000 since December of 2000, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Chester County’s workforce dropped slightly from October to November, from 13,973 to 13,844. The number of people employed fell by three, from 12,867 to 12,864.

Several factors usually account for a drop in the number of unemployed: People find jobs, people move, or they don’t report themselves as unemployed. The reason for the decrease in Chester County was a drop in people reporting themselves as unemployed.

In recent years, about 6,000 people have annually come from other counties to work in Chester County, said Karlisa Parker, the county’s economic development director. About 3,000 Chester County residents have traveled outside the county for jobs, she said.

Hirings at Sun Fiber, Jones-Hamilton and Venus Textiles are likely reasons for the improved unemployment number, Parker said.

York and Lancaster counties’ unemployment rates also dropped. York County’s rate fell from 5.3 percent to 4.8 percent, while Lancaster’s dropped from 6.1 percent to 5.5 percent.

Rock Hill’s unemployment rate for September and October was 5.7 percent. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for cities generally lag behind county data by about a month.

The unemployment rate in South Carolina dropped slightly in November, from 5.6 percent to 5.5 percent. It was the sixth straight month the rate has declined.

The department said the unemployment rate has not been so low since August 2001. Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5 percent in November.

A record number of people were working in South Carolina during November. More than 2.1 million had jobs, an increase of more than 9,000 from October.

Since last January, the number of people at work has increased by more than 71,000 in the state.

The Associated Press contributed.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Chester County’s unemployment numbers lowest since 2001."