Kern County's unemployment rate rose slightly in January, currently making it double the rate of the rest of California, according to the state's Employment Development Department.
"The unemployment rate in the Kern County was 11.1 percent in January 2017, up from a revised 10.2 percent in December 2016, and unchanged the year-ago estimate of 11.1 percent," officials said. "This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 5.5 percent for California and 5.1 percent for the nation during the same period."
The biggest drop over the month in Kern County was clothing and accessories stories, down 13 percent. The biggest gain was in science and tech services, up 2 percent.
