By Samuel Stebbins | 24/7 Wall Street
The Labor Department announced in early August that the U.S. economy added 157,000 jobs in July. The announcement marked the 94th consecutive month of job growth, the longest period of uninterrupted employment growth in U.S. history.
Not every part of the United States has benefited equally from the job growth of recent years. In some counties, unemployment remains higher than the nationwide recent peak of 10.6 percent in the wake of the recession.
24/7 Wall Street reviewed May 2018 unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the 50 counties with the highest unemployment. Unemployment rates on this list are not seasonally adjusted and range from 7.7 percent to over 20 percent — well more than double the 3.6 percent national unemployment rate that month. In states without counties, county equivalents were considered. Counties, boroughs, and parishes are listed along with their administrative capital city, or seat. For unorganized boroughs in Alaska without an administrative capital, the largest city is listed.
