By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Unemployment figures for June 2025 have been released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, showing a mixed picture across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. While some counties continue to hover near their lowest rates of the year, others saw modest increases compared to May.
Fulton County’s unemployment rate ticked up to 4.9% in June, compared to 4.6% the month before. Williams County also experienced a rise, climbing to 5.1% after sitting at 4.6% in May. Defiance County matched Fulton with a 4.9% rate, slightly above its 4.3% mark from May.
Henry County landed at 5.0% for June, a modest increase from 4.6% the previous month. Wood County saw a similar change, edging up from 4.4% in May to 4.8% in June. Hancock County matched that figure at 4.8%.
Lucas County continued to report higher rates than its neighbors, coming in at 6.0% for June, compared to 5.8% in May.
Ottawa County, which often records some of the highest unemployment in the region, posted 5.0% in June after showing a sharper improvement to 5.1% in May. Seneca County stood at 5.2%, and Sandusky County was higher still at 5.6%. Paulding County held steady at 5.0%.
Putnam County posted the lowest rate in Northwest Ohio at 3.9%, holding below both the state and national averages. Across the state of Ohio, unemployment rose slightly to 5.1% in June, up from 4.7% in May. Nationally, the U.S. rate increased as well, moving from 4.0% to 4.4%.
Looking to our neighbors up north, Southeast Michigan counties also reported higher rates in June. Monroe County rose to 6.0%, up from 5.8% in May. Lenawee County climbed to 5.9%, compared to 5.6% the month before.
Hillsdale County registered 6.1%, a modest increase from 5.9% in May. All three Michigan counties remain above the national average and closely aligned with Lucas County’s June rate in Ohio.