After a decline earlier this year, job growth in rural America is back on track, reports The Daily Yonder. This April saw 232,000 more jobs in rural counties than during the same period a year ago. In addition, the unemployment rate in rural areas has fallen from 6.2 percent a year ago to 5.4 percent in that time.
The rate of job growth in rural areas was only slightly slower than the growth rate in urban areas. However, some areas such as rural Texas and North Dakota continue to struggle with dwindling jobs in the oil and gas sector. Still, overall the news is good. Cimarron County, in the Oklahoma Panhandle, is a particular standout, with a 1.9 percent unemployment rate.
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