As reported by Virginia Employment Compensation,Patrick County’s unemoployment rate dropped by 0.1 percent, from 7.8 percent in June to 7.7 percent in July 2012.

As reported by the Martinsville Bulletin By ASHLEY JACKSON - Bulletin Staff Writer Martinsville’s unemployment rate rose by 2 percent in July, the latest Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) figures show. Martinsville’s jobless rate jumped from 14.3 percent in June to 16.3 in July. Henry County’s rate climbed by 0.5 percent, from 9.8 percent in June to 10.3, while Patrick County’s rate dropped by 0.1 percent, from 7.8 percent in June to 7.7 percent, VEC figures released Wednesday reveal. The combined unemployment rate for Henry County and Martinsville in July was 11.4 percent, up 0.7 percent from 10.7 percent in June, figures show. Among 134 localities statewide, Martinsville again ranked first in terms of joblessness in July. Henry County was tied with Halifax County for 10th and Patrick County ranked 26th. According to a VEC website, based on annual averages, Martinsville has had the state’s highest unemployment — averaging 13 percent — for 10 years. The latest figures were down from July 2011, when the city’s unemployment rate was 18.4 percent, while Henry County’s rate was 11.4 percent and Patrick County’s rate was 9.6 percent, VEC records show. Fluctuations in the area labor force — the total number of people who have jobs plus those looking for work — affect monthly jobless rates. In July, there were 2,449 unemployed people among Henry County’s labor force of 23,853. In June, the county’s labor force amounted to 24,287, with 2,387 looking for jobs. A year ago, 23,792 people were in the labor force, with 2,705 on the jobless rolls, statistics reveal. Martinsville’s labor force in July totaled 5,540, with 905 people looking for work. In June, the city’s labor force totaled 5,537 with 794 people jobless. In July 2011, there were 5,599 people in the labor force with 1,033 searching for jobs, according to VEC statistics. In Patrick County, there were 9,145 people, including 705 unemployed, in the labor force in July. The county’s labor force amounted to 9,219 in June when 719 were unemployed. In July 2011, there were 9,015 people in the labor force with 862 unemployed, figures show. Virginia’s statewide unemployment rate remained the same — 6 percent — from June to July. That rate was lower than the national jobless rate, which jumped from 8.4 percent in June to 8.6 in July, according to statistics. Along with Martinsville, the state’s localities with the highest unemployment rates in July included Williamsburg (13.5 percent), Lexington (13 percent), Petersburg (12.1 percent) and Emporia (11.8 percent), figures show. Among metropolitan areas, Danville-Pittsylvania County had the highest unemployment at 9 percent in July, statistics indicate. Arlington County had the lowest jobless rate at 3.5 percent while Loudoun County had the second lowest rate at 4.1 percent, the VEC reported.