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Labor Market Statistics for Areas Affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita: September and October 2005
The data for September 2005 were the first from the Local Area
Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program to reflect the impact of Hurricane
Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on August 29 with catastrophic effects
in parts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This page presents a
summary of those September data along with October data, and links to detailed county
data.
Hurricane Rita made landfall after the September reference periods for the Current Population Survey and the Current Employment Statistics program, which provide inputs for LAUS estimation.
Revised data for August 2005 for areas affected by Katrina and Rita can be found
at http://www.bls.gov/katrina/data.htm#2.
Those data and the data below are not seasonally adjusted; therefore,
over-the-month comparisons are discouraged.
Labor force and unemployment, September 2005 (revised, not seasonally adjusted)
In September 2005, the areas most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had a
labor force of about 3.1 million workers, of whom 324,000 were unemployed. The unemployment rate
for these most affected areas was 10.5 percent, 5.7 percentage
points higher than the 4.8-percent rate for the U.S. as a whole.
Table 1. September 2005 labor force,
employment, and unemployment, revised, not seasonally adjusted, in
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (rates in percent), entire State and most
affected areas in State
State or area |
Labor force |
Employment |
Unemployment level |
Unemployment rate |
Entire State |
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
2,169,355 |
2,081,973 |
87,382 |
4.0 |
Florida
|
8,757,070 |
8,427,298 |
329,772 |
3.8 |
Louisiana
|
2,004,625 |
1,777,069 |
227,556 |
11.4 |
Mississippi
|
1,299,299 |
1,171,811 |
127,488 |
9.8 |
Texas
|
11,276,764 |
10,684,597 |
592,167 |
5.3 |
TOTAL
|
25,507,113 |
24,142,748 |
1,364,365 |
5.3 |
Most affected areas* in State
|
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
394,752 |
376,666 |
18,086 |
4.6 |
Louisiana
|
1,433,054 |
1,252,679 |
180,375 |
12.6 |
Mississippi
|
869,475 |
769,590 |
99,885 |
11.5 |
Texas
|
396,485 |
370,425 |
26,060 |
6.6 |
TOTAL
|
3,093,766 |
2,769,360 |
324,406 |
10.5 |
* Note: These data represent the 10 counties in
Alabama, 34 parishes in Louisiana, 47 counties in
Mississippi, and 9 counties in Texas that were designated by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for both individual
and public disaster assistance as of September 30,
2005.
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Source: Local Area
Unemployment Statistics
The overall unemployment rate in Louisiana was 11.4 percent in September.
The most-affected areas in the state had an average unemployment rate of
12.6 percent. For 7 of the hardest-hit parishes in the state, individual
unemployment rates are not available for September, because of the impact of
Katrina on data collection.
Mississippi's overall September unemployment rate was 9.8 percent. In
Mississippi, the most affected counties had an aggregate jobless rate of 11.5 percent.
In contrast, the unemployment rate was below the national average in Alabama in
September 2005, and the most heavily affected counties in Alabama had an average unemployment rate of
4.6 percent. The unemployment rate in Florida was 3.8 percent in September 2005.
In Texas, the unemployment rate, at 5.3 percent, was one-half of a percentage
point above the national average in September. (As mentioned above, the reference period for the September data was before Hurricane Rita struck eastern Texas and western Louisiana.)
State and individual county labor force and unemployment data tables from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics
program — September 2005: Alabama, Florida,
Louisiana, Mississippi,
Texas (PDF files).
County unemployment rate maps for September 2005 from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program: Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Texas (PDF files).
In October 2005, the unemployment rate
for the areas most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was 10.5 percent, 5.9
percentage
points higher than the 4.6-percent rate for the U.S. as a whole.
Table 2. October 2005 labor force,
employment, and unemployment, revised, not seasonally adjusted, in
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (rates in percent), entire State and most
affected areas in State
State or area |
Labor force |
Employment |
Unemployment level |
Unemployment rate |
Entire State |
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
2,191,653 |
2,092,427 |
99,226 |
4.5 |
Florida
|
8,781,944 |
8,474,953 |
306,991 |
3.5 |
Louisiana
|
1,974,707 |
1,744,408 |
230,299 |
11.7 |
Mississippi
|
1,299,629 |
1,186,785 |
112,844 |
8.7 |
Texas
|
11,320,982 |
10,745,171 |
575,811 |
5.1 |
TOTAL
|
25,568,915 |
24,243,744 |
1,325,171 |
5.2 |
Most affected areas* in State
|
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
397,697 |
379,060 |
18,637 |
4.7 |
Louisiana
|
1,413,980 |
1,227,936 |
186,044 |
13.2 |
Mississippi
|
866,780 |
782,126 |
84,654 |
9.8 |
Texas
|
400,258 |
365,129 |
35,129 |
8.8 |
TOTAL
|
3,078,715 |
2,754,251 |
324,464 |
10.5 |
* Note: These data represent the 10 counties in
Alabama, 34 parishes in Louisiana, 47 counties in
Mississippi, and 9 counties in Texas that were designated by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for both individual
and public disaster assistance as of September 30,
2005.
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Source: Local Area
Unemployment Statistics
The overall unemployment rate in Louisiana was 11.7 percent in October.
The most-affected areas in the state had an average unemployment rate of
13.2 percent.
As was the case for September, individual
unemployment rates are not available for October for 7 of the hardest-hit parishes in the
state, because of the impact of
Katrina on data collection.
Mississippi's overall October unemployment rate was 8.7 percent and the most affected counties had an aggregate jobless rate of
9.8 percent.
The unemployment rate in Alabama in
October 2005 (4.5 percent) was about the same as the national average; the most heavily affected counties in Alabama had an average unemployment rate of
4.7 percent.
In Texas, the overall unemployment rate for October was 5.1 percent. The most-affected areas in
Texas had an average unemployment rate of 8.8 percent.
In Florida, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in October.
State and individual county labor force and unemployment data tables from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics
program — October 2005: Alabama, Florida,
Louisiana, Mississippi,
Texas (PDF files).
County unemployment rate maps for October 2005 from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program: Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Texas (PDF files).
Hurricane Information | Employment and Unemployment Data Collection and Estimation
Last Modified Date: January 5, 2006
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