By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Local unemployment numbers for Fulton and Williams County have worsened these past few months.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, numbers that sat at just 3.5% for Fulton County and 3.1% for Williams County in December 2023, jumped to 5.0% in Fulton County and 3.9% for Williams County in January 2024.
February’s numbers continued this trend, with Fulton County remaining at 5.0%, while Williams County increased to 4.1%.
This unemployment uptick has increased state-wide, with Lucas County going from 3.7% in December 2023 to 5.0% in February 2024.
Other local county numbers followed suit, with December 2023 numbers showing 3.0% for Defiance County, 4.3% for Henry County, 2.8% for Wood County, and 5.5% for Ottawa County.
February 2024 numbers increased to 4.4% for Defiance County, 5.6% for Henry County, 3.8% for Wood County, and 7.5% for Ottawa County. Ottawa County is tied with Meigs County for the highest unemployment numbers in the state.
Fulton County ranks 34th place and Williams County ranks 62nd place out of 82 counties.The higher the number, the higher the unemployment percentage.
The State of Ohio and Country as a whole saw an increase in unemployment numbers as well. Numbers sat at 3.1% for Ohio and 3.5% for the United States in December of 2023.
These numbers increased to 4.2% for Ohio and 4.1% for the United States in January 2024 and increased further to 4.4% for Ohio and 4.2% for the United States in February. These numbers are non-seasonally adjusted.