Stunning Kern unemployment levels: 28 percent!

Kern County has always had a seasonal unemployment rate around 10 percent, but the breakdown by city is simply stunning. Consider this: Arvin has a jobless rate of 28.4 percent, Delano is 27.8 percent and McFarland is 22.3 percent. At the low end is Kernville who clocks in at 4.3 percent. This is according to the latest Kern Economic Journal run out of Cal State Bakersfield by economist Dr. Abbas Grammy. A sampling of the sobering numbers, from worst to best:

1) Arvin: 28.4 percent
2) Delano: 27.8 percent
3) McFarland: 22.3 percent
4) Wasco: 19.8 percent
5) Lamont: 19.1 percent
6) Shafter: 19 percent
7) Taft: 10.4 percent
8) California City: 8.3 percent
9) Bakersfield: 7.4 percent
10) Ridgecrest: 6 percent
11 Kernville: 4.3 percent