POLK COUNTY – Polk County had the 25^th lowest unemployment rate in the state of North Carolina for the month of June 2017, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Rankings were released on June 8 by the state, with Polk County’s being at 4.0 percent, according to the department of commerce.

Buncombe County had the lowest rate in the state at 3.2 percent unemployment, with Alexander ranking second with a 3.5 percent rate, Henderson ranking third with a 3.6 percent rate, Granville ranking fourth with a 3.6 percent rate, Chatham ranking fifth with a 3.6 rate and Wake ranking sixth with a 3.6 percent rate.

Nearby Rutherford County ranked 90^th lowest rate in the state with a 5.8 percent unemployment rate. Scotland County ranked 100^th, or the highest rate in the state with an unemployment rate of 7.6 percent, according to the department of commerce.

For the month of June, Polk County had a workforce of 8,927, with 355 people unemployed.

Henderson County had a workforce of 52,739 with 1,878 unemployed in June and Rutherford County had a workforce of 24,667 with 1,424 people unemployed.

The state’s unemployment rate for June, not seasonally adjusted, was 4.2 percent.

Unemployment rates decreased in 69 counties in June, increased in four counties and remained unchanged in 27 counties.

Polk County’s rate remained unchanged from May to June this year, with the county’s May rate also at 4.0 percent. Polk County’s June 2016 unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, according to the department of commerce.

The next unemployment rate is scheduled to be released for the state figure on Aug. 18 for the July unemployment rate. Individual county information is released after the state figures are released.