Energy development and construction are helping Pascagoula recover from a still high 8.5 percent unemployment rate. The mining, logging, and construction sector is providing the biggest boost in jobs, with a whopping 29 percent increase. Much of that boom is construction work from Chevron's $1.4 billion refinery expansion. When finished late in 2013, the Pascagoula facility will be the world's largest producer of premium base oil, the principal ingredient in synthetic motor oil. One of the metro's largest employers, VT Halter Marine, is also expanding. Its ship-repair facility is expected to add 400 jobs at the Port of Pascagoula – Mississippi's largest port.
Mike Brantley/The Mississippi Press/AP/File
