Kern County unemployment rate third-highest in the state

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KERO) — Unemployment in California remains a mixed bag as the state is adding many new jobs but the unemployment rate remains high.

The latest data from the Employment Development Department (EDD) shows the state's unemployment rate is currently sitting at just under 8-percent. It's the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation but it's the lowest rate for California since the start of the pandemic.

Still, the EDD reported there were 114,000 new jobs added in July.

So what does the unemployment situation look like here in Kern County? According to data from the EDD Kern County's unemployment rate was 10.7-percent in July which is just slightly down from June. Still, there are nearly 41,000 people without jobs locally.

And Kern County's unemployment rate is the third-highest in the state. Only Tulare County at just over 11-percent and Imperial county at almost 19-percent are higher.