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Stanly County’s July unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.2 percent, according to new county-specific data from the state’s Department of Commerce.

Stanly had 1,270 people unemployed in July, a decrease from the 1,344 people unemployed in June, when the rate was 4.5 percent. The state’s rate also dipped to 4.4 percent.

A total of 30,079 people were employed in July, a slight decrease from the 30,201 employed in June.

Stanly is in better shape statistically now compared to the same time last year, when only a few months into the pandemic the July 2020 unemployment rate was almost 8 percent.

Unemployment rates decreased in 99 counties in July. Seventy counties, including Stanly, had rates below 5 percent in July, up from 59 counties in June.

The number of people employed across the state increased 8,361 over the month to roughly 4.8 million and increased 278,125 over the year, according to the data. The number of unemployed decreased by 15,020 to 232,409.

The federal employment rate in July fell to 5.4 percent from 5.9 percent, while the economy added 943,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Almost 21,000 North Carolinians filed COVID-19 related initial claims in June, a significant increase from the 12,000 who filed the month before. More than 3.8 million claims have been filed in the state since March 15, 2020.

Stanly County had 95 people file COVID-19 related initial unemployment insurance claims (out of 253 total initial claims) in June, an increase from the 67 who filed COVID-19 claims the month before. There are 103 continued COVID-19 related claims for the month.

The industries most impacted by the pandemic in Stanly were manufacturing with 54 claims, unclassified/unknown with 41 claims and trade, transportation and utilities with 33 claims.