Unemployment Rate Ticks Up Slightly For Greenville County

Unemployment rates saw an increase in Greenville County, as well as in the state, in January.

According to statistics released Monday by the S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce (DEW), South Carolina's unemployment rate increased to 8.7 percent in January from the revised rate of 8.6 in December.

In South Carolina, the number of employed persons increased to 1,987,765, and unemployed persons numbered 188,496 in January. Since January 2012, employment has increased 26,840.

Greenville County's number jumped from 6.7 percent in December to 7.0 percent in January. More than 15,800 people in Greenville County currently are unemployed, according to DEW.

The only county with a lower rate was Lexington County, at 6.8 percent. Marion  County had the state's highest rate, at 19.2 percent.

The national unemployment rose slight from 7.8 percent in December 2012 to 7.9 percent in January 2013.