While economic stress went down in three out of every four of
the nation’s counties in March, San Benito County’s stress level
keeps rising and is now at the fourth-highest level for counties
its size in the United States.
While economic stress went down in three out of every four of the nation’s counties in March, San Benito County’s stress level keeps rising and is now at the fourth-highest level for counties its size in the United States.
In counties with a population of 25,000 or more, San Benito trailed just Imperial and Merced counties in California and Lyon County in Nevada based on the Economic Stress Index, an Associated Press analysis that factors in unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.
The average county’s stress score in March – the latest figures available – was 11.5, according to the AP. That’s down from February’s score of 11.8 and January’s 11.9 figure, the highest since the news service began publishing the index a year ago.
By comparison, San Benito County’s stress score in March was 27.26.
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.
In 38 of the nation’s 50 states, economic stress dipped or remained unchanged from February, despite higher foreclosure and bankruptcy rates, the AP reported. With improving job prospects in some regions and a growing economy – as measured by the gross domestic product – just over half of the country’s 3,141 counties were deemed stress in the latest report.
Nevada remains the most economically stressed state, with a stress index score of 21.3. It is followed by Michigan (18.15), California (17.21), Florida (16.14) and Illinois (15.13), according to the AP. Michigan’s and California’s scores worsened in March, while the other three states improved.
The least-stressed states, as judged by the Economic Stress Index, were North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana and Vermont. The least-stressed counties were in Kansas and South Dakota.
According to the California Employment Development Department, San Benito County’s unemployment rate was 21.8 percent in March, which was the sixth-highest rate in the state. The number, which is not seasonally adjusted, remained unchanged from February after jumping from 20.9 percent in January. The statewide unemployment rate in March was 14 percent, according to the EDD.
Wire services contributed to this report.
