Van Wert County’s jobless rate rises

VW independent staff

Mercer, Auglaize and Putnam counties fared well in terms of jobs during the month of June.

Mercer County had the state’s second lowest unmeployment rate last month, 2.7 percent, while Auglaize had the third lowest rate, 2.9 percent. At 3.0 percent, Putnam County had Ohio’s eighth lowest jobless rate.

Numbers provided by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services this week show Van Wert County’s June jobless rate went from 2.5 percent in May to 3.2 percent in June. In June of last year, the county’s unemployment rate was 4.4 percent.

Paulding County’s June jobless rate was 3.1 percent and Allen County checked in at 3.8 percent, which was above the statewide average of 3.6 percent.

Among the state’s 88 counties, Holmes County had the lowest unemployment last month, 2.6 percent, followed by Mercer County (2.7 percent), Auglaize, Union and Wyandot counties (2.9 percent) and Geauga, Medina and Putnam counties (3.0 percent).

10 counties had jobless rates at or above 4.5 percent in June – Athens and Trumbull counties (5.0 percent), Meigs and Scioto counties (4.9 percent), Pike County (4.8 percent), Adams, Monroe and Noble counties (4.7 percent), Mahoning County (4.6 percent), and Lucas County (4.5 percent).

According to ODJFS, even though the statewide average dropped slightly between May (3.7 percent) and June, rates increased in all 88 counties from May to June.