Orangeburg County's unemployment rate fell for the fourth consecutive month in February propelling it out of the top 10 in job futility of the state's 46 counties

The month's unemployment rate was 10.6 percent, down from January's rate of 10.9 percent.

The story was more of the same throughout and beyond The T&D Region.

The rate in Calhoun County decreased slightly from 6.3 percent in January to 6.2 percent in February.

Unemployment in Bamberg County, too, decreased from a January rate of 5.5 percent to a 4.9 February percentage.

The latest figures are cause for optimism, said Bill Pendleton, manager of the Orangeburg Employment Security Commission.

"Things appear to be getting better," Pendleton said, referring to the war in Iraq and the overall economy. "A lot of employers are taking a wait-and-see approach ... and are hopeful that the next two or three months have some more good news."

Neighboring counties, however, were not as fortunate.

Barnwell County's rate increased from 11.2 percent to 11.3 percent, ranking it ninth in the state in unemployment.

Dorchester's rate climbed from 4.0 percent to 4.1 percent. Lexington County, tied for the lowest rate in the state, also spiked from 3.1 percent to 3.2 percent.

Williamsburg and McCormick counties ranked one and two in unemployment rates, at 18.1 percent and 17.0 percent, respectively.

State-wide numbers show the unemployment rate edged down slightly from 6.3 percent to 6.2 percent in February. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 5.8 percent.

The state's labor force held steady at 2.03 million while the number of unemployed persons showed a small drop from last month's nine-year high to 126,824.

If February's statistics are any indication, the S.C. ESC said the economy may be slowly returning to more normal seasonal patterns. The war in Iraq and economic developments at the national level are expected to continue to affect the economy in the foreseeable future.

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