County bucks state jobless trend

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

With most of Ohio’s 88 counties showing decreases in unemployment during October, Van Wert County proved an exception, with jobless figures released Tuesday showing a slight increase in local unemployment for the month.

Figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed the county’s jobless rate was up three-tenths of a percent, from 6.7 percent to 7.0 percent, in October. That gave Van Wert County the highest jobless rate in the area for the month. The county rate was higher than Allen County, which had previously been slightly higher in September at 6.8 percent, but saw unemployment decrease two-tenths of a percent, to 6.6 percent, this past month.

Estimates compiled in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the county’s labor force increased 100 people, from 14,100 to 14,200; however, unemployment also increased, from 900 to 1,000 people, while those employed stayed the same at 13,200.

Moreover, while an increase in unemployment is disappointing — especially when most of the state saw decreased joblessness — October’s rate of 7.0 percent was still a big improvement over last at this time, when the county had an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent (click here for statewide labor force estimates).

Mercer County continued to lead the state in unemployment, with that county’s jobless rate decreasing a tenth of a percent, from 3.9 percent in September to 3.8 percent last month. Auglaize County was second among area counties, at 4.7 percent, a decrease from 4.9 percent in October, while Putnam County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.0 percent in September to 4.9 percent this past month. Paulding County’s jobless rate decreased the most in the area, from 6.3 percent in September to October’s rate of 5.9 percent (click here for a map that contains more unemployment information).

Rates decreased in 74 of Ohio’s 88 counties, with eight counties having rates at or below 5.0 percent. In addition to Mercer, Auglaize and Putnam, those counties included Holmes (4.2 percent), Delaware (4.5 percent), Geauga (4.7 percent) and Medina (5.0 percent).

On the other end, 10 counties had unemployment rates above 9.0 percent in October. Those included Pike (11.5 percent), Meigs (10.1 percent), Huron (9.8 percent), Jefferson and Vinton (9.6 percent), Scioto (9.5 percent), Jackson (9.4 percent), Clinton (9.3 percent), Adams, (9.2 percent), and Morgan (9.1 percent).

The state’s unemployment rate was an adjusted 6.3 percent for the month.