Nov. 8--Unemployment figures continue to climb in Kerr County, but locals can at least take solace that it is not as bad as other parts of the country, according to local economic officials.

For the first time in a quarter century, the U.S. jobless rate topped 10 percent. The Labor Department announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose from 9.8 to 10.2 percent in October, with 190,000 net jobs lost since September. That job loss brings the total number of unemployed in America to roughly 16 million.

But the employment outlook is more positive in Texas. The most recent unemployment numbers available at the end of September put statewide unemployment at 8.2 percent and Kerr County's unemployment at 6 percent. The Kerr County rate has risen steadily from 4.6 percent in April.

"I think Texas has a distinct advantage over the rest of the country," said Guy Overby, director of the Kerr Economic Development Foundation.

"The economy is more diversified here," he said. "It's not like up in Detroit and the Midwest, where everything is tied into one industry -- the auto industry -- and the collapse reverberates far greater when it does."

Overby also said Kerr County benefits from a statistical stand point by having a higher than normal retired population. Roughly a quarter of the population is 65 and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"From a numbers standpoint, things are better, 'cause we have fewer people here, who are actually looking for work," he said.

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