Dare County's jobless rate increases to 17.1 percent

By Connie Sage

Correspondent

Dare County's jobless rate reached 17.1 percent in February, the second-highest level in North Carolina, according to state statistics released Wednesday.

Only far western Graham County, which borders Tennessee, had a higher percentage of people out of work than the Outer Banks, the data from the state Employment Security Commission showed.

The mountains and coastal areas have gotten a "double whammy," with a typically high unemployment rate this time of year and the current tough economy, said Larry Parker, a spokesman for the commission in Raleigh.

The February statistics for Dare County showed an increase from a jobless rate of 16.6 percent in January. Although initial estimates showed a rate of 17.3 percent for January, the revised statistics still gave Dare the highest unemployment rate of the state's 100 counties for that month.

In Gates County, the number of those without jobs grew the most in the northeastern corner of the state, to 8.5 percent from 7.5. Still, its jobless rate remained the second-lowest in the area, followed by Currituck County at 9.1 percent.

Chowan County is tackling its record high unemployment of 12.5 percent with a community job fair. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Cape Colony Church of Christ, 831 Soundside Road.

For those who are unemployed, there is a bit of good news: Workers will be paid an additional $25 a week in unemployment benefits as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

For those who were eligible for unemployment at the end of February, raises are retroactive to Feb. 28, according to the state commission. Dare County's jobless rate reached

17.1 percent in February, an increase from 16.6 percent in January. (The initial January estimate for Dare showed a rate of 17.3 percent but was later revised.)