Vance still third in unemployment


Vance County’s unemployment rate followed the North Carolina trend and increased in July to 9.9 percent, tied with Wilson County for the third-highest rate in the state, according to statistics released Friday by the state Employment Security Commission. Caldwell County was the worst at 13.1 percent, and Scotland County slipped from first to second at 11.6 percent. Vance’s rate was 9.3 percent in June and 10.6 percent in July 2004, when 116 more people were officially unemployed and 403 fewer people had jobs.