Apr. 30--Northumberland County's unemployment rate rose slightly in March.

According to the latest state Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) data released Tuesday, 9.8 percent of county residents are unemployed.

The good news is that Northumberland is no longer in the bottom 11 counties statewide when it comes to unemployment. Still, the latest data puts the county above both the state average unemployment rate, at 8.2 percent, and the national average, at 8.9 percent; it's currently ranked 52nd of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

State and national rates have not been seasonally adjusted, meaning totals include all people without work, even college students currently home on break.

Last month, DLI reported February's unemployment rate in Northumberland County was 9.6 percent; however, the latest rate for February, released yesterday, was 9.5 percent.

From October to March, the county's unemployment rate rose nearly 2.5 percent, from 7.4 percent in the fall to the current 9.8 percent. Since October 2007, the county's unemployment rate increased by 4.7 percent, from 5.1 percent.

In the past year, Paper Magic and Fleetwood Enterprises, both formerly in Elysburg, and Crest Homes in Milton, closed their plants, driving the county's unemployment rate up. This month, Knight-Celotex, which has a plant in Sunbury, filed for bankruptcy. Many of those unemployed still haven't found work.

Of the nine counties surrounding Northumberland, Schuylkill County also ranked 52nd, with a 9.8 percent unemployment rate. Jobless rates in the remaining other neighboring counties were: Montour, 6.4 percent; Dauphin, 7.3 percent; Perry, 7.6 percent; Columbia, 8 percent; Juniata, 8.1 percent; Lycoming, 8.7 percent; Snyder, 9.2 percent, and Union, 9.5 percent.

Of those counties, Montour and Columbia counties' unemployment rates have decreased since last month's numbers came out.

The lowest jobless rate in the Commonwealth is in Centre County, where 5.6 percent of residents are out of work. Cameron County is home to the highest jobless rate in the state, which is currently at 16.8 percent. That number jumped by 2.5 percent since last month.

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