The ESC reported that Polk County had a labor force in June of 9,940 with 9,062 employed and 878 unemployed.

The number of unemployed was down from 929 in May.

Polk was among 32 counties in the state where the jobless rate declined in June. The rate increased in 56 counties and remained unchanged in 12.

&dquo;Outside of a few counties, there wasn&squo;t a lot of change in the rates going up or down,&dquo; said ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. &dquo;Throughout the state, we&squo;ve had gains in both employment and unemployment. We are seeing some summer hiring, but not at the pace in previous years.

&dquo;At the same time, we are still dealing with some job loss and the ESC continues to be there for those individuals needing work search assistance or help with filing for unemployment benefits.&dquo;

Currituck and Dare counties had the state&squo;s lowest unemployment rate of 6.2 percent in June, while Scotland County had the highest rate at 17.2 percent.

Rutherford County continued to have one of the highest jobless rates in the state, remaining at 15.4 percent in June. The unemployment rate was 9 percent in Buncombe County and 9.4 percent in Henderson County.

In South Carolina, where the statewide rate was 12.1 percent in June, the rates jumped to 10.7 percent in Greenville County and 13.1 percent in Spartanburg&bsp; County.