Census Participation Way up in Edgecombe

For the past 10 years, many of Edgecombe County's citizens and elected officials have questioned the results of the 2000 Census. The population count came only about six months after Hurricane Floyd's flood waters devastated the area and forced many people from their homes. As a result, Edgecombe's mail-in Census participation rate in 2000 was 59 percent.

This time around, county and community leaders led a push to improve Census participation and they have something to be pleased about - 73 percent of Edgecombe County residents completed their Census forms. In a county that struggles with chronic high unemployment and other challenges, having an accurate measure of its population - and the federal dollars that could bring - is critical.

See how the rest of North Carolina's counties did in returning Census forms by mail.

Unemployment Falls in Edgecombe

North Carolina experienced relief, albeit small in some cases, with lower jobless rates in all 100 counties for the month of March. Edgecombe County's unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) dropped 1.5% to 15.6%.

Before - and even during - this recession, Edgecombe has often had North Carolina's highest unemployment rate. In the March report, four other counties have more people out of work, including Graham, Rutherford and Caldwell Counties in the western part of the state. As a group, Western North Carolina counties have seen their rates rise more dramatically during this recession, largely the result of lost manufacturing jobs.

Here's the full report from the NC Employment Security Commission:

East Carolina University should put out seasonally adjusted rates later today...you can find them here.

Studying Census Participation

In just about every form of media imaginable--from the web to the roadside and everything in between--the word is out: fill out your Census form and mail it back. With millions of dollars in federal funding for states and municipalities determined by Census data, participation is critical. It's also cost-effective. According to the US Census Bureau, taxpayers could save $1.5 billion if everyone mailed back their forms and door-to-door methods weren't needed.

As of today, North Carolina's Census participation rate stands at 62 percent, two points above the current national average of 60 percent. 59 percent of Edgecombe County's residents have mailed back their forms so far, the US Census Bureau says. In 2000, North Carolinians fell below the national average in Census , but only by one point: 66 percent to the national 67 percent figure.

While the people of Edgecombe County have done relatively well in returning their Census forms so far, a recent study still found some potential problems in Edgecombe. The study by the Institute for Southern Studies ranked Edgecombe County among the most likely North Carolina Counties to be under-counted in the Census. Out of 100 counties (100 being least likely for an undercount), Edgecombe ranks 3rd.

The study took 10 factors into account to determine the rankings:

• Current unemployment rate
• One-year unemployment growth
• 2006-2010 layoffs
• 2005-2010 foreclosures
• One-year rolling foreclosure increase
• Current poverty rate
• Percent African-American
• Percent Hispanic/Latino
• 2000 Census mail response rate
• 2000 Census undercount

Read the full report

The study found Lee County, which has a lower unemployment rate than Edgecombe, to be the county most at-risk for an under count; Yadkin County the least-risky.

Even though Edgecombe County has several potential risk factors like high unemployment and a large population living below the poverty line, Census 2010 could very well be more successful than the count a decade ago. It's only the first week in April, but Edgecombe has already surpassed its overall mail-in participation from the 2000 Census.

57 percent of the county's people mailed back their forms ten years ago; already this year, with a few weeks to go, Edgecombe is up to 59 percent participation. In a place with a strained social service system, where every dollar counts, the Census trend so far this year is welcome news.

A Good Count

2010 Census forms begin making their way to mailboxes across the nation this week and the people-counting efforts are getting extra attention in Edgecombe County. 10 years ago, when Census workers were doing their tallies for the 2000 Census, much of the county was still in disarray. Flooding from Hurricane Floyd put 40 percent of Edgecombe under water and forced thousands of people from their homes and into temporary housing only about 5 months before the Census began.

As a result, Edgecombe County leaders say many residents were missed in the 2000 count. In a county that's been suffering through high unemployment and other economic malaise for more than 15 years, missing parts of the population in the Census--and the millions of federal dollars that could cost--is a major thing.

This time around, county officials are going all-out to make sure everyone in Edgecombe is counted. In reminding citizens to fill out their Census questionnaires, county leaders are also letting them know about the millions of dollars at stake if Edgecombe County is under-represented. Census workers are also involved, meeting with church groups and other local organizations to get the message coming in from many different directions. Edgecombe's official population has been somewhat unclear to many of the people who live there--hopefully the 2010 Census will remove the confusion.

The Regional Census office for eastern North Carolina is in Rocky Mount and so far applications from temporary employees have been brisk. "We have gotten a good response in Edgecombe and Nash counties," said Lindberg White, Jr., the Manager of the Rocky Mount Census office. Edgecombe has one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates, but White doesn't believe that's the only reason so many people have been interested in the part-time Census work. He says it's most difficult to find qualified applicants in counties that are more rural and sparsely-populated than Edgecombe.

The Rocky Mount office oversees people-counting efforts in 17 eastern North Carolina counties. White says it's hard to put an exact figure on the number of people that will ultimately be hired to help with the Census because of turn-over and other things, but he expects it will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1800 workers. White says he won't know exactly how many people he'll need until the Census questionnaires start coming back: the more residents who mail in the Census form, the fewer workers needed to go door-to-door.

Those who are hired can expect to earn between $11 and $14 an hour and could potentially have Census-related work through the fall.

Edgecombe Near the Bottom in Health Report

Although it's economic struggles that usually get the most attention in Edgecombe County, the population is also facing a health crisis. A new report from the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides additional evidence of the state-of-affairs in a nationwide check-up of Americans broken down on a county-by-county level. Of North Carolina's 100 counties, Edgecombe ranks 94th in overall Health Outcomes.

According to the report, the way the people of Edgecombe County approach healthy lifestyles are having a strong influence on the overall score. In the category of "Health Behaviors," a measure that includes things like obesity and adult smoking rates, Edgecombe ranks 100th--the worst in North Carolina. The report found 38% of Edgecombe's people are obese (NC Average is 29%) and 30% of adults smoke (NC Average is 23%).

Read Edgecombe's full health report card:

As you might expect, the issue is more than casually connected to matters of economics. Of the bottom 10 counties in the report, only Martin County (at 19.8%) has a poverty level below 20 percent. Some of the bottom 10 counties have more than 25 percent of their people living below the poverty line, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Not surprisingly, the healthiest counties are the most economically successful ones, places like Wake, Mecklenburg and New Hanover Counties.

As Edgecombe County continues its efforts to recruit new industries, it's poor showing in health surveys could be a substantial hindrance. "Many corporations look at the obesity rate in the community as one of their crucial factors in deciding where to locate there," says Dr. Jim Johnson, of the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC-Chapel Hill. "They use the incidences of obesity as a surrogate measure for health care costs and productivity."

Poor health and high unemployment have become unfortunate ways of life in Edgecombe County. As this research from the University of Wisconsin proves, they are problems that are becoming increasingly connected and could loom largely in Edgecombe's long-term prosperity.

Mixed Signals

The middle part of the week brought major economic news that could benefit Edgecombe County--but the announcement didn't take place there.

On Tuesday, Oregon-based Reser's Fine Foods announced it would expand its operations in neighboring Halifax County, creating 500 jobs in the process. The company produces prepared salads, dips, side dishes, Mexican foods and specialty products under a variety of brand names.

Since the facility in Halifax is an hour or less from most Edgecombe County locales, the jobs are welcome news to the work force in Edgecombe. Many of the county's residents leave Edgecombe everyday for work in other communities--some of them further away than Halifax County.

In November, the most recent month for which data are available, Halifax County had an unemployment rate of 13.6%, 3 percent lower than Edgecombe's 16.6%, the highest in North Carolina. Edgecombe County has about 1000 more people looking for work than Halifax County does, according to NC Employment Security Commission statistics.

State and federal leaders also announced this week that Edgecombe County is among 37 North Carolina counties to receive $28 billion in economic stimulus funds to expand broadband internet access.

The promises of hundreds of new jobs and better internet access coming to the region were great news in the middle of the week, but state officials released data Friday that diluted some of that
good cheer. North Carolina's statewide unemployment rate in December increased to 11.2%, up from 10.8% in November. The 11.2% figure is the highest of the recession, topping June's mark of 11.1%. The jobless rate had been below 11% since then.

The state releases rates for individual counties on Friday, 1/29.

Edgecombe's Poverty High, but not Highest

Edgecombe County--even in good economic times--often has one of the two highest unemployment rates in North Carolina (Scotland County is the other). But in a recent report on poverty in North Carolina released by the NC Justice Center, 11 counties had poverty rates higher than Edgecombe's.

Neighboring Pitt County, which is home to several economic engines that have still been turning in this recession--East Carolina University and Pitt County Memorial Hospital among others--had an unemployment rate of 10.4 percent in September. By comparison, Edgecombe's rate stood at about 16 percent that month. But the levels of poverty in the two communities are much closer: 22.9 % of Edgecombe's people live below the poverty level, less than a percentage point above Pitt's 22.2%.

Read more of the report from the NC Justice Center

Unemployment Rate Ratchets Back Up

After a six-month streak of either decreasing or staying flat, North Carolina's unemployment rate increased in October--to 11 percent. Unemployment in September stood at 10.8 percent. We'll get an idea of what this means for Edgecombe County on Tuesday, December 1st, when the state releases jobless rates for individual counties. Even in months when the state-wide unemployment rate dropped, Edgecombe has seen it's jobless numbers tick upward.

Read the full news release:

http://www.ncesc1.com/pmi/rates/ratesmain.asp

Good News Amid High Unemployment

Good News Amid High Unemployment

Back in September, there was sadness being served at the corner of Main & Church streets, instead of the coffee and sandwiches that were once on the menu. The owners of the Main Street Cafe, lured out of town by an attractive job offer, had decided to close the place. In a community that's struggling with high unemployment, there were plenty of concerns that the prominent corner would sit empty indefinitely.

Millions of Americans are out of work; many of those who are fortunate enough to still draw a paycheck are pulling back their spending and refraining from risk taking like never before. Then there are folks like Evelyn West and Gloria Wooding, who are venturing out into an economic storm so many are trying to avoid. They re-opened a new Main Street Cafe in the same location in early October.




Evelyn, who was working in insurance before leaving to start the restaurant, knows the timing raises eyebrows. "Crazy, right?" she says. "I've lived here my whole life and as long as I can remember, there's always been something in this spot. It's such a great spot and it's a great location and it was one more Tarboro business that was going to be closed and I just didn't want to see that."




Evelyn's Aunt--and restaurant co-owner--Gloria Wooding has run restaurants before. They plan to keep the menu simple: sandwiches, soups, desserts, coffee. It's so far, so good they say, as far as business is concerned. The people of Tarboro seem grateful to have a new restaurant up-and-running so quickly, Evelyn says. I've had a huge outpouring of support. "People tell me all the time how thankful they are that we're open, how glad they are to see something still going on here."

Edgecombe County has plans to move dozens of workers to the former Embarq Communications building downtown. That could translate into a steady stream of folks coming through the doors at lunch time, a potential that factored into Evelyn and Glenda's decision to open Main Street Cafe when they did. It's also led the owners of Bud's grill to open a new downtown establishment, the Classic Diner.




There's also good news a few miles away from Tarboro, in the town of Pinetops, where industrial transformer manufacturer ABB is announcing plans to expand its oeprations. The planned expansion could eventually create 60 jobs.

All the good news is still muted by the fact that Edgecombe County's unemployment rate stands at more than 16 percent right now--and goes even higher when it's seasonally adjusted. Only one of North Carolina's 100 counties has a higher percentage of its people out of work. But, if nothing else, the restaurant openings and business expansions are giving the people of Edgecombe County some encouragement and hope--two things that are too often in short supply.
Posted by Rob Holliday at 8:04 PM

Introducing...our new Economic Video Widget

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Edgecombe County Unemployment Edges Up, N.C. State Rate Falls

Last month the unemployment rate (for August) increased in Edgecombe County and in the nation, but the rate for North Carolina fell. Remember, these rates are based on the particular characteristics of the area in question, so there is no reason to believe that all rates in NC should follow the same pattern.

While we see many signs that show us that the economy is improving, we are not out of the water. We are simply coming off the bottom of a major slowdown – and few areas have been immune. And as we improve, it is not unusual to experience bumps in the road – or, in this case, up and down variations in the unemployment rate.

The nation’s unemployment rate comes from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The national CPS is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, there is no state CPS survey, so the unemployment rates for North Carolina are adaptations from the national survey and less reflective of the State’s labor force. In other words, they are not as accurate or as reliable as the national unemployment rate. If you follow the logic down to the county level, the estimates become less accurate and less reliable presentations of economic health. And, because many of the counties are small, it is not unusual to see more dramatic variations from month to month.

One of the better measures of unemployment -- and the foundation of the variation in the unemployment rates – is the insured employment number. This measure reflects the number of persons that are receiving unemployment checks. This number is published weekly for the nation and North Carolina and monthly for the counties. Many economists are focusing on this number as a very good indicator of the economy – as it is a real count and not an estimate like the unemployment rate.

I have attached graphs for Edgecombe County and for North Carolina. In both cases the current rate is below the peak and (hopefully) on a sustainable downward trend. For Edgecombe, you should be able to see the August uptick that forced the unemployment rate upward. We also see a rise in the North Carolina, but since its numbers are much larger, this rise had a smaller effect statewide on the unemployment rate

Finally, although we could spend a great deal of time talking about the insured unemployment data, we need to be sure to keep the data in perspective. While the increase in Edgecombe is relatively smaller, it really started from a higher level. The August total represents approximately 5.6 percent of the population that are of working age (18-64), while the much higher relative total is only 3.7 percent of the same aged population for North Carolina. So, even when the Edgecombe County economy recovers from the current recession, it will need to add many additional jobs for the working population to be comparatively employed.

A September They'll Always Remember

[ Watch Hurricane Floyd: 10th Anniversary Part 2 ]

No matter what else is happening in the world, the month of September always brings back some of Edgecombe County's most painful memories. It was 10 years ago this month--on September 16th, 1999--that Hurricane Floyd made landfall in North Carolina and changed the landscape of Eastern North Carolina forever.

U.S. Highway 64--September 1999

U.S. Highway 64--September 2009

Hurricane Floyd became a rain-maker of epic proportions, dropping as many as 22 inches of rain in some communities. In and of itself, that's a staggering amount of rainfall, but it was made much worse by what had happened two weeks before. Hurricane Dennis dropped heavy rains into creeks and rivers--bringing them up to flood stage BEFORE Hurricane Floyd arrived. The result was the worst natural disaster in state history: a 500-year flood that killed more than 50 people and caused $6.5 billion in damage.

Edgecombe County endured some of Floyd's worst devastation. In the days immediately after the storm hit, 40 percent of Edgecombe County was under water. Hundreds of families were forced into shelters, many of whom had never seen flooding anywhere near their homes.

10 years later, the water is long gone, but the memories remain. There are some more permanent indications of the devastation Floyd caused in places like Tarboro and Rocky Mount, which participated in one of the largest buyouts in FEMA history. Hundreds of homes and apartment buildings were purchased at pre-flood market value, their owners able to move to new properties out of harm's way.

Things are much different now: the communities, after the buyouts, are more flood-resistant; weather forecasting technology has improved many times over; more emergency responders are trained in swift water rescue techniques.



Hurricane Floyd was one of the worst storm's eastern North Carolina has ever seen, but it's given the people of places like Edgecombe County a strength many communities don't have. As they weather the worst economic storm in generations, Edgecombe County's men and women are drawing on their ability to overcome, to keep moving forward in the face of struggle--a lesson they learned in that devastating storm 10 years ago this month.

The local area unemployment numbers for North Carolina were released on Friday (August 28). And, as we do every month in my office, we seasonally adjust the information. This process produces a little more optimistic look for the region than the information that was not seasonally adjusted, but these data by no means suggest that the hard times are over.

The release for July gives the unemployment rate for Edgecombe at 16.3 percent, while the rate for Nash county was 12.9 . When you seasonally adjust the data, the unemployment rates drop to 15.6 percent for Edgecombe and 11.9 percent for Nash. The rates dropped because unemployment typically goes up in July and because the loss was not as large as normal (probably because many of the jobs were lost during the prior year).

Obviously, the bad news is that the rates for the region continue to remain high and significantly above the rates found in 2008.

On a national and state scale, the “collective wisdom” suggests that the worst is over. Things are still bad and we are not out of the woods. We are simply beginning to climb off the bottom. And, the sooner the national and state climb off the bottom, the sooner we will see the tide rise in eastern North Carolina…..and the sooner we see announcements like the expected expansion at Sara Lee, the sooner will see the better health return to Edgecombe and Nash counties.

Some Good News for Edgecombe County

Sara Lee Facility, Tarboro, NC

Wednesday brought North Carolina's chief executive to Edgecombe County. Governor Bev Perdue traveled to Tarboro with exciting news for this community: new jobs. Foods producer Sara Lee is adding 45 jobs to its Tarboro facility and investing $11 million.



Governor Beverly Perdue (D-NC)

Sara Lee is already one of Edgecombe's largest employers with 808 full-time employees right now. The additional 45 positions will help the company expand its biscuit making operations. By the time all the new equipment is up and running, the Tarboro facility will produce about 102 million pounds of food products each year.


This is no doubt good news for Edgecombe County--which has chronically had one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates--but it comes with a surprising twist in this age of economic incentives. State leaders say Sara Lee decided to create the jobs and invest the $11 million without getting any tax breaks, credits or other incentives in return.




--Rob Holliday, UNC-TV

An Evenly-Split Town Hall

Members of Congress around the country have found raucous crowds--and sometimes even worse--when they've returned home during this August recess. The images of Sen. Arlen Spector and other members of Congress being shouted down over the issue of health care reform have become iconic almost instantly.



North Carolina has no doubt seen it's share of heated moments in the debate over reforming health care, but there were no major disruptions Tuesday night in Rocky Mount. Based on the reactions of those in attendance to various points and the signs they held up, the crowd appeared to be roughly 50-50 for and against the current proposals.

Edgecombe County was the site of North Carolina's first town hall meeting convened by a member of Congress to specifically address health care. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-1st District) was met with boos and jeers as he outlined the current proposals in Congress and why he supports them.



The reactions were strongest when Rep. Butterfield discussed the government-run public option to compete with private insurance and the overall price tag of the package. There were many people opposed to these ideas, but also many in the crowd who support the idea of providing more insurance options.

Many of the opponents of the current package who spoke at the town hall brought up familiar themes: government ineptitude and over-extension; cost; the so-called 'death panels' that have gotten so much attention this week; illegal immigrants and H.R. 615, which asks members of Congress to sign up for the public option if it passes and drop their own health insurance coverage. A physician addressed Congressman Butterfield and recommended tort reform as a way to lower health care costs. He, like many physicians, believes that if doctors and other providers have more protections against frivolous lawsuits, they wouldn't have to spend so much on malpractice insurance and overall health care costs would be lower.



Those that spoke in favor of the plan pointed to government's ability to run insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid well; the cost of private insurance and the financial difficulties posed by massive medical bills; the value of having a fallback insurance option in the case of a job loss. One woman spoke passionately about the costs of caring for a disabled child and having claims denied.



There were boos and jeers, shouts and signs, Tuesday night in Rocky Mount. But, in Edgecombe County, anyway, every speaker was allowed to finish making the points they wanted to make. There weren't many people who appeared to leave the forum with their minds changed, but at least they were able to exchange ideas in a relatively peaceful, democratic process.

A More Evenly Split Town Hall

Investigation Causes Stir in Edgecombe County

It's been an eventful day at one of the largest employers in Edgecombe County. More than 200 employees at QVC got a shock when they clocked in to work this morning: they were being placed on unpaid leave. In an economic time when so many people are already feeling pain, the workers say missing out on a few days of pay is an incredible pinch.

The situation is connected to the workers taking 'hardship loans' from their 401k accounts, according to a letter given to the QVC employees. The company says in that letter that it is investigating whether certain employees borrowed the funds from their 401ks improperly. The employees who borrowed the money and are under investigation must prove to QVC that the money was used for legitimate purposes. If they can't provide that documentation within the next few days, they could face a disciplinary action—and possibly even be fired. Finding a new job in Edgecombe County—which has one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates—is not an easy thing to do. Just the notion of losing their jobs has many of these employees understandably very nervous.

For it's part, QVC says in a statement:

“QVC is investigating alleged irregularities regarding employee 401k hardship withdrawals at our Rocky Mount Distribution Center. Due to the current investigation, we cannot provide any additional information at this time.” QVC employs 950 people at the Edgecombe county facility.



The affected employees all gathered at the 'Pack House,' an old store a half-mile from the QVC distribution facility to talk about the situation. One of them told me he had borrowed about $800 from his 401k because he was behind on his rent and also needed to help his daughter pay college tuition. He says the company told the employees they could take out the 'hardship loans' and that Fidelity, which administers the plan, approved them.

With their hours cut, wages frozen and facing other challenges brought on by an economy in recession, many of the workers were taking advantage of the loans to help pay their bills. The employee I spoke with says QVC has been a good company to work for. He just wishes QVC had finished its investigation before the company prevented its employees from coming to work and earning their paychecks. QVC says any employees who are investigated and found to have done nothing wrong will be 'made good' for the hours they were forced to miss.

Incentives Game Changing With Recession

With one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates--about 16 percent right now--Edgecombe County is able to offer companies some of the state's best economic incentives, should they choose to create jobs here. It's been an important strategy in recruiting large employers in recent years, like home shopping giant QVC, which built a 1.5 million square foot distribution facility in the 1990s. With 950 employees, QVC is one of Edgecombe's largest employers.

But in this economic climate, the way those incentives are being used is changing. Instead of using them to lure new companies to town, economic developers are rolling out incentives to keep the jobs they have from leaving. “You didn't used to have to work with the incentives for saving jobs. All of your incentives were about recruiting new jobs, ” Oppie Jordan, the Vice President for the
Gateways Regional Partnership says. “That's not true now. What you really have to do is work to save what you have and create the new so together it has been an interesting challenge...”



Edgecombe County lost out earlier this year to the state of Virginia in a battle to keep a Barcalounger furniture factory open. The company was planning to consolidate and ultimately chose to bring all of its operations together in Martinsville, VA instead of Edgecombe County.

But economic developers remain optimistic. They say that even in the midst of this recession, they're still seeing more activity and interest from companies looking to expand or shift their operations. One company that's chosen to move jobs to Edgecombe County, Montana Tractors, has slowly but surely been adding employees, about 40 right now. Montana is planning to move all of its operations to Tarboro except for its headquarters with plans to create as many as 70 jobs.



The recession has prompted many small business owners to band together and support each other. Many of the store owners on Tarboro's main street are making it a point to buy the things they need from each other instead of driving several miles away to 'big box'-type establishments.
On The Square Restaurant Owner Inez Ribustello says she's keeping the decorations in place as she reigns in costs. “That would be an obvious thing to cut, right? I mean, flowers, they're not necessary. We pay a premium for them. But then, you're starting the cycle of someone else going out of business and this is a local, someone, you know, your neighbor and you don't wanna do that and so we've kept the flowers and cut on other ends.”

Edgecombe County's unemployment rate went up from May-to-June and some of the laid off Barcalounger employees are now applying for jobless benefits. But Employment Security Commission officials are seeing more positive signs now than they have in recent months. For now, the layoff notices are coming in small numbers instead of large ones. More importantly, the office is also hearing from companies looking for workers, something that wasn't happening much a couple of months ago.

This is a community that's had a double-digit unemployment rate for more than a year now, but the numbers aren't enough to dampen an emerging spirit of optimism.


















--Rob Holliday, UNC-TV

June 2009 Unemployment Rate

The local area unemployment rates were released today by the Employment Security Commission of NC. The unadjusted rate for Edgecombe County was 16.8 percent. However, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (SAUR) was 16.0. The SAUR is 0.3 percent higher than last month and 6.0 percent higher than was found in June 2008.

Seasonal adjustment removes the seasonal variations in the data, leaving fluctuations that are the result of the economic (structural and cyclical) changes in the economy. The US and North Carolina rates are seasonally adjusted by the US Department of Labor, while the county rates are seasonally adjusted by the ECU Bureau of Business Research BBR). The BBR adjustments are undertaken so that we can effectively compare the local rates to the state and national published rates. Plus, the seasonal adjustment process enables you to compare the rate from month to month.

All the North Carolina substate unemployment rates are available at the BBR web site. (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/SAUR.cfm ). Unless you know the names of the North Carolina counties, it might be hard to make sense of the data. At the top of the list is Orange County (6.1 percent), which contains the City of Chapel Hill (and a UNC university with the same name). In the middle of the pack is Mecklenburg, which houses the state’s largest city (Charlotte). Mecklenburg has suffered relatively more this recession than we have seen in the past, and is one of the reasons that the statewide rate is one of the highest in the nation. Toward the bottom you will find Edgecombe – and other mostly rural North Carolina counties. As has been mentioned, this is not unusual for North Carolina. The rural counties tend to have higher rates. Unfortunately, and as we find virtually everywhere else in the State, the level of the rates are much higher than “normal”.

One of the aspects to remember about the unemployment rate and the other labor force numbers (employment and unemployment) is that these are resident indicators. In other words, the Edgecombe County unemployment rate reflects only county residents, regardless of where they work. So, if these individuals commute to contiguous counties for jobs (such as Nash (City of Rocky Mount) or Pitt (City of Greenville)), their employment/employment characteristics are reflected in these totals. This measurement demonstrates the connectivity to other parts of the state – for if a plant in an adjacent county closes and that plant employs many Edgecombe County workers, the Edgecombe unemployment rate will rise. Conversely, if an Edgecombe County plant closes and all their workers live outside Edgecombe, the unemployment rate will not be affected at all.

While the Edgecombe rate climbed during June, the NC rate for June fell for the first time in many months. While this slight fall (from 11.1 percent to 11.0 percent) does not signal the end of the recession, it is positive news. I believe that the worst is over and the economy (national and state) will slowly begin to improve. And history suggests that the statewide economy and its larger cities will improve before we see positive results in the state’s (mostly) rural communities.

Summer Treat Sees Brisk Sales

He does most of his business in a county with one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates, but William Joyner says sales of his watermelons are strong as ever. Each summer, Joyner sets up shop at the same spot: the intersection of Kingsboro Road and old US Highway 64 in western Edgecombe County.

We were there to shoot some video for an upcoming Patchwork Nation report when we met Mr. Joyner and asked the question just about all business owners are being asked these days: 'How have your sales been?' 'Never better' was Joyner's immediate reply. Out-of-state visitors are stocking up on their way to the beach; long-time residents who work at the nearby QVC distribution center are stopping by for the summertime treat on their way home in the afternoon.

A full watermelon is going for $7 and Joyner's selling canteloupes for $2.50. Even in the midst of the worst economic times in decades, cooling off with a slice of watermelon is something plenty of folks think is worth paying for...seeds and all.