County tied for 6th lowest jobless rate

Van Wert independent staff

Van Wert County had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state for March, according to figures released this week by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The county was tied with Hancock County for the sixth lowest unemployment rate in the state in March, with both having unemployment rates of 3.1 percent, according to the ODJFS data. 

Neighboring counties were also well-represented among those with low unemployment rates in March. Mercer County had the lowest jobless rate in the state at 2.5 percent, while Auglaize County was second at 2.8 percent, Putnam County was tied for eighth with Union County with a 3.2 percent unemployment rate, and Paulding County tied eight other counties for the 11th spot with a jobless percentage of 3.4.

Allen County had an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.

According to statistics compiled by the ODJFS, with input from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Van Wert County had 13,700 people employed out of a total labor force of 14,200. Approximately 400 people were unemployed in the county.

March’s 3.1 percent jobless rate was down two-tenths of a percent from the February unemployment percent, with a half-percent decrease from March 2022.

The county unemployment rate was lower than both the state (3.8 percent) and U.S. (3.5 percent) jobless rates.

Statewide, 5,537,200 people were employed, out of a total work force of 5,755,600, with 218,400 people without a job in March.