Oklahoma Unemployment Rate In May Climbs In All 77 Counties

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission says the state's unemployment rate rose in every one of its 77 counties in May, a trend they say is not uncommon for the month.

Figures released on Tuesday show Sequoyah, Latimer and LeFlore counties in southeast Oklahoma had the highest unemployment rates of 9 percent, 8.7 percent and 8.4 percent in May.

The lowest unemployment rate was in Roger Mills County in western Oklahoma at 2.2 percent, which was an increase from 1.8 percent in April.

In the state's largest county, Oklahoma County, the rate was 5.2 percent in May, up nearly a full percentage point from 4.3 percent in April.

Tulsa County's rate was 5.4 percent in May, up from April's 4.5 percent.

Read OESC's news release on May 2013 unemployment rate.

Oklahoma Employment Security Commission spokesman John Carpenter says it is common for the unemployment rate to spike in May as students join the search for summer employment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.