87 Ohio counties see July jobless increase

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Unemployment increased for the second month in a row in most of Ohio’s 88 counties, including Van Wert County, according to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. A total of 87 counties saw higher jobless rates in July.

Van Wert County’s unemployment rose two tenths of a percent, from 3.4 percent in June to 3.6 percent last month.

According to workforce estimates compiled by the ODJFS, in conjunction with the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Van Wert County’s labor force saw a whopping 800-person increase from June to July, with the labor force going from 14,700 people to 15,500, with 14,900 county residents employed, versus 14,200 in June.

Unemployment also rose as well, from 500 people in June to 600 last month.

Neighboring counties also saw at least a small increase in unemployment as well.

Mercer County, which again had the lowest jobless rate in the state, had an increase of two-tenths of a percent from June’s 2.7 percent rate, but remained under 3 percent at 2.9 percent. Auglaize County was second in July at 3.3 percent, up two-tenths of a point from June’s 3.1 percent, while Putnam County was at 3.4 percent in July, an increase of three-tenths of a percent from June’s 3.1 percent. Following Van Wert, Paulding County saw an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent in July, up four-tenths of a percent from 4.0 percent last month. Allen County had the highest jobless rate among neighboring counties at 4.7 percent in July, an increase of six-tenths of a percent over June’s 4.1 percent.

Across the state, five counties, including Mercer, Auglaize, and Putnam, had unemployment rates at or below 3.5 percent in July. The other two counties were Wyandot County (3.2 percent) and Holmes County (3.5 percent).

In addition, seven counties saw jobless rates at or above 6.5 percent. The county with the highest unemployment rate was Monroe County, at 7.5 percent, followed by Athens County, 7.1 percent; Meigs County, 7.0 percent; Adams County, 6.8 percent; Scioto County, 6.6 percent; and Huron and Trumball counties, 6.5 percent.

The state’s comparable unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in July.