Panola County’s unemployment rate continues to drop, falling another three tenths of a percentage point to 12.1 percent from February to March.

There were 1,950 people unemployed last month as opposed to 1,990 in February, according to the latest figures from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The statistics also show an increase in the total labor force in Panola County in March with 16,130 people compared to 16,080 in February.

The March 2011 unemployment rate is down one and a half percent from the 13.6 rate in March of 2010.

Five years ago, in March of 2006, the rate was 7.3 percent.

In comparison to the six surrounding counties, the Panola unemployment rate was the same as Tallahatchie (12.1), less than Quitman (13.4) and Tunica (19.3), but higher than Lafayette (8.1), Yalobusha (11.4) and Tate (11.0).

Mississippi’s unadjusted unemployment rate for March was 10.2 percent, decreasing four-tenths of a percentage point from the prior month’s rate of 10.6 percent. The number of employed in the state decreased 5,100 from February.

The nation’s unemployment rate decreased as well going from 9.5 percent to 9.2 percent, and was a percentage point lower than the year-ago rate of 10.2 percent.

The lowest unemployment rate for March in Mississippi was Rankin County at 6.6 percent and the highest was Tunica County at 19.3 percent.