County jobless rate back under 4 percent

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Unemployment decreased by a half-percent in Van Wert County, according to information released recently by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The county jobless rate was at 3.5 percent in August, compared with July’s 4.0 percent unemployment rate. According to statistics released by the ODJFS, which were compiled in conjunction with the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Van Wert County had 14,500 people in its workforce, with 14,000 of those employed and 500 people unemployed.

The county had the fourth lowest unemployment among neighboring counties, an area of traditionally low unemployment, and the 10th lowest unemployment in the state as a whole.

Mercer County again led the state with the lowest unemployment rate at 2.8 percent, down two-tenths of a percent from July’s 3.0 jobless rate. Putnam County was second at 3.0 percent, down eight-tenths of a percent from July; Auglaize County was third at 3.2 percent, also down eight-tenths of a percent, from 4.0 percent in July.

Following Van Wert County was Paulding County, which had a jobless rate of 4.0 percent in August, down from 4.3 percent in July, while Allen County had the highest area unemployment at 4.3 percent, down 1.1 percent from July’s rate of 5.4 percent.

Across the state, there were three counties with unemployment rates at 3.0 percent or below. Those included Mercer and Putnam counties, as well as Wyandot County, which had a 3.0 percent jobless rate.

On the other end of the spectrum, eight counties had unemployment rates at or above 6.0 percent in August. Those include Adams County, with an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent; Monroe County, 6.5 percent; Meigs County, 6.4 percent; Scioto County, 6.3 percent; Athens and Trumbull counties, 6.1 percent; and Jefferson and Pike counties, 6.0 percent.

The comparable unemployment rate for Ohio was 4.5 percent in August.