Both Williams and Fulton County once again saw improved unemployment rates that moved each county from 5.0% in August to 4.7% in September. This marks the first month in some time that either county fell below the 5.0% mark. The identical unemployment ratings leave Williams and Fulton Counties at 49th and 50th, showing almost no movement, in the state ranking system.
This improvement of unemployment ratings is echoed both state and nation wide with the U.S. rate at 5.9%, down from 6.1% in August and 7.2% one year ago. Similarly, Ohio’s unemployment, at 5.6%, is down from 5.7% in August and 7.4% 12 one year ago. Unemployment rates fell in 79 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Statewide, unemployment ranged from a low of 2.9% in Mercer County to a high of 10.1% in Monroe County. Counties in Ohio with the lowest rates included Mercer (2.9%), Holmes (3.4%), Auglaize (3.5%), Delaware (3.7%), Hancock (3.8%), Union (3.9%), and Putnam (3.9%). Counties with the highest rates included Monroe (10.1%), Meigs (7.7%), Pike (7.6%), Scioto (7.2%), and Jefferson (7.1%).
Throughout the state, job growth was seen in state government (+6400); trade, transportation, and utilities (+4400); manufacturing (+3600); other services (+1100); and construction (+1000). This growth outweighed losses in professional and business services (-3600); local government (-3400), education and health services (-2100), leisure and hospitality (-700), information (-400), and financial activities (-300). No change was seen in federal government or mining and logging. With the growth the number of unemployed for the month was 319,000, down from 324,000 in August and 429,000 one year ago.
Ohioans wishing to learn more about unemployment benefits or who are in search of a job can visit www.ohiomeansjobs.com. The information in this article and the monthly statistical analysis it is based upon are also available at http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocomm