With a 4.1 percent unemployment rate, Jessamine County is now among the lowest in the state, according to the Kentucky Career Center, ranking in the top 10.

Overall unemployment rates are down in 93 Kentucky counties, according to July 2016 findings from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.  

“Low unemployment rate is a function of job opportunities available in an area as well as the skill level of individuals in that area,” Manoj Shanker, economist with Kentucky’s Office of Employment and Training said. 

“The unemployment rate for a county is based on the county of residence.”  

For example, even if a Jessamine County resident commutes to Toyota in Georgetown, or to a factory in Lexington, he is counted as employed. For someone living in Jessamine County, there are numerous job opportunities within a one-hour drive, and that keeps the unemployment rate low, Shanker said.   

The unemployment rate for the state was 5.2 percent and 5.1 percent for the nation. 

Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working, said Kim Brannock, Kentucky Education Cabinet information officer. 

“Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work,” Brannock said. “They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.” 

While the actual number may not be exactly 4.1 percent, and the labor force statistics are estimates in the sense that the data is based on a sample of the population, Shanker said, Jessamine decreased its percentage from July of last year, when it was at 4.5 percent.

Surrounding counties percentages are: Woodford, 3.6 percent; Madison, 4.3 percent; Garrard, 4.7 percent; Mercer, 4.9 percent, and Fayette, 3.8 percent.