Report: Harrison County has most improved unemployment rate in the nation since 2005

Harrison County leads the list of midsize counties with the most-improved unemployment rate in the country since 2005.

The report by Headlight Data was released Tuesday, the same time as the Gulf Coast Business Council issued an Economic Snapshot showing sales-tax collections across South Mississippi are up 6 percent so far this year.

The improvement in unemployment rates likely can be traced to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The report said Harrison County unemployment decreased by 18.7 percent, and East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana was the second-most improved at 6.2 percent.

The report said 167 midsized counties saw unemployment increase from 2005 to 2015 and 125 registered a decrease.

The unemployment rate for the three Coast counties was 6.1 percent in October, down from 7.2 percent in 2014. The Gulf Coast Business Council Research Foundation's report said the largest job growth this year, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, came in Leisure and Hospitality (270 jobs), Retail Trade (300 jobs) and Health care (270 jobs).

The 12 Coast cities combined have seen sales tax collections grow in 14 consecutive months through October. Hotel and restaurant taxes are up 5 percent for the first 10 months of 2015 over 2014, according to the Business Council report, and casino revenue is on pace for its best year since 2008, with a $49 million increase in revenue over 2014.

This has brought more money to the 12 Coast cities, which combined have seen sales-tax collections grow in 14 consecutive months through October, the report said.

"There has always been a correlation between sales-tax growth and establishment jobs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Ashley Edwards, Business Council president, "and we believe that we can carry this momentum into 2016."

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Report: Harrison County has most improved unemployment rate in the nation since 2005 ."