Jobless Rates Reach Record Highs In Carolinas

North Carolina's unemployment rate hit a record 11.1 percent in January, and South Carolina's unemployment rate tied its record high at 12.6 percent.

The Employment Security Commission on Wednesday reported that North Carolina’s unemployment rate for January was above its pre-recession high for a twelfth straight month. The numbers released for South Carolina represent a slight increase over December's rate, which the agency revised downward from 12.6 percent to 12.4 percent.

Unemployment in North Carolina increased by 8,300 workers to more than 500,000. The number of South Carolina’s unemployed rose about 4,600 people to more than 273,000,

Unemployment went up in all of South Carolina's 46 counties. Allendale and Marion counties tied for the state's highest rate, at 24.3 percent. Unemployment was lowest in Lexington County, at 9.4. Economists said last month the state’s chronically high unemployment rate could top 13 percent before it starts to improve.