State and Local Unemployment Drops

Both state and local unemployment fell in November, with State levels dipping as low as 7.5 percent. Texas unemployment in November dropped .7 point from unemployment one year ago. Lubbock County’s unemployment dropped to 5.5 percent, down from 6 percent in October and 6.2 percent in November of 2010. City unemployment saw a similar drop, dipping to 5.4 from 5.9 in October. Total nonfarm employment was up .8 percent from October 2011, and total private was up by .7 percent. Manufacturing went unchanged, and government employment rose 1.3 percent.