As the nation’s economic stress fell to a two-year low in April,
San Benito County’s stress level improved from the fourth-worst to
the 10th-worst in the country, according to numbers provided by the
Associated Press.
In counties with a population of 25,000 or more, San Benito’s
stress level in April was 22.42 in April, the most recent month for
which data is available. That was the sixth-highest number in the
state but it did drop the county six spots in the monthly Economic
Stress Index ratings.
As the nation’s economic stress fell to a two-year low in April, San Benito County’s stress level improved from the fourth-worst to the 10th-worst in the country, according to numbers provided by the Associated Press.
In counties with a population of 25,000 or more, San Benito’s stress level in April was 22.42 in April, the most recent month for which data is available. That was the sixth-highest number in the state but it did drop the county six spots in the monthly Economic Stress Index ratings.
The index calculates a county’s stress level on a scale of 1 to 100, with a higher score indicating higher stress. A county is considered stressed when its score exceeds 11. About a quarter of the nation’s counties were stressed in April, down from about a third in March, according to the AP.
The average county’s stress score was 9.8, the lowest since April 2009’s score of 9.7, according to the report. It was 10.5 in March and 11 in February. More than 90 percent of the nation’s 3,141 counties were better off in April than in March.
The improving Economic Stress Index news locally comes on the heels of news that San Benito County’s unemployment rate dropped nearly 3 percent – from 20.6 in March to 17.7 percent in April. California’s unemployment rate dropped from 12 percent to 11.9 percent, with 144,000 jobs being added since this time last year.
More than 2.1 million people are unemployed in California.
Imperial County in Southern California was the most economically stressed county on the Stress Index, coming in with a score of 31.33. Yuma County, Ariz., Lyon County, Nev., Sutter County, Calif. and Merced County rounded out the top five. Six of the top 10 most-stressed counties in the nation are in California.
As it has been since the recession began in 2007, North Dakota was the least-stressed state, with a score of 3.88, according to the AP. It was followed by Nebraska (5.27), South Dakota (5.58), New Hampshire (6.38) and Vermont (6.39). Nevada had the highest stress level among states in April with a score of 19.36. Next were California (15.57), Florida (14.17), Arizona (13.78) and Georgia (13.38).
