ODJFS: County unemployment rate falls

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Unemployment figures again trended downward in October for most of Ohio counties, including Van Wert County. According to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 45 Ohio counties saw unemployment rates decrease, while 23 counties saw increases in unemployment, and 20 counties had jobless rates remain the same.

According to the ODJFS, Van Wert County saw a decrease in unemployment of a tenth of a percent, from 3.6 percent in September to 3.5 percent in October.

Jobless figures for the county, compiled by the ODJFS, in conjunction with the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, show increases of 100 people in the county workforce, as well as the number of county residents who are currently employed. Unemployment remained the same at 500 people.

With the exception of Mercer County — which remained at 2.8 percent, but again had the lowest unemployment rate in the state — all neighboring counties saw a slight decrease in unemployment in October.

Auglaize County had the second-lowest rate in the area at 3.1 percent, down from 3.2 percent in September. Putnam County was right behind Auglaize County, with an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, down from 3.3 percent in September. Allen and Paulding counties were both at 4.0 percent in October, down from 4.1 percent the month prior.

Statewide, there were nine counties with unemployment rates at or below 3.3 percent. Those include Mercer, Auglaize and Putnam counties, along with Holmes County (2.9 percent), Delaware and Hancock counties (3.1 percent), Union County (3.2 percent), and Medina County (3.3 percent).

At the other end of the spectrum, four counties had unemployment rates at or above 6.5 percent in October. They include Monroe County (8.1 percent), Meigs and Noble counties (6.8 percent), and Scioto County (6.5 percent).

The comparable unemployment rate for Ohio was 4.2 percent in October.