Unemployment improves, with Gulf third best in Florida
Joblessness in both Forgotten Coast counties dropped slightly in February, with Gulf County doing one-half of 1 percentage point better than Franklin in overall unemployment.
According to preliminary data released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, both Franklin and Gulf County joblessness improved by two-tenths of 1 percentage point last month over January’s numbers, as Gulf dropped to 2.9 percent and Franklin to 3.4 percent.
Gulf’s joblessness tied it with Wakulla as the third best county in the state, behind only Monroe at 2.1 and Miami-Dade at 1.6 percent.
Franklin’s unemployment rate placed in the middle range of Florida’s 67 counties, and behind the overall Florida rate of 3.1 percent.
In Gulf, seven people left the jobless rolls, lowering them to 159, while the labor force grew by 21 people, from 5,439 to 5,460.
In Franklin, seven people left the unemployment line, dropping them to 164, as the labor force grew by 47 people, from 4,786 to 4.833.
One year ago, the unemployment rate was lower in both counties, 2.4 in Gulf and 2.8 in Franklin, and both the labor force and the jobless rolls were smaller, with both counties at 129 people on unemployment.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.1 percent in February, unchanged from the January rate, and up 0.3 percentage point from a year ago. There were 345,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of about 11.09 million. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in February.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted total nonagricultural employment was about 9.9 million in February, a decrease of 5,500 jobs (-0.1 percent) over the month. The state gained 226,200 jobs over the year, an increase of 2.3 percent. Nationally, the number of jobs rose 1.8 percent over the year.
Nine of 10 major industries experienced positive over-the-year job growth in February. The industries gaining jobs over the year included education and health services (+57,500 jobs, +4.0 percent); trade, transportation, and utilities (+48,300 jobs, +2.5 percent); leisure and hospitality (+35,000 jobs, +2.7 percent); total government (+32,000 jobs, +2.9 percent); construction (+21,000 jobs, +3.4 percent); other services (+11,200 jobs, +3.1 percent); manufacturing (+10,500 jobs, +2.5 percent); financial activities (+7,100 jobs, +1.0 percent); and professional and business services (+4,300 jobs, +0.3 percent).
The only major industry losing jobs over the year was information (-900 jobs, -0.6 percent).
February Area Unemployment
| County | 2023 | 2024 |
| Bay | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| Franklin | 2.8% | 3.4% |
| Gulf | 2.4% | 2.9% |
| Leon | 2.8% | 3.3% |
| Liberty | 3.0% | 3.8% |
| Wakulla | 2.5% | 2.9% |
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.