Despite a slight uptick in unemployment, the state's jobless rate remains below the national average.
(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana’s unemployment rate is up for the second straight month.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says the state’s jobless rate was at 3.5 percent in August, up from 3.4 percent a month prior.
Indiana’s unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 3.9 percent, and with the exception of October 2014, the state’s unemployment rate has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years.
Locally, August unemployment rates ranged from 3.6 percent in Ohio County to 4.3 percent in Switzerland County.
Indiana’s labor force stands at 3.39 million and the state’s 65 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.7 percent.
Among neighboring states, Indiana had the lowest unemployment rate in August at 3.5 percent. Ohio and Michigan both came in at 4.1 percent, while Kentucky had a jobless rate of 4.4 percent last month.
Southeastern Indiana Unemployment Figures |
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COUNTY | August 2018 | July 2018 | August 2017 |
Dearborn | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.2% |
Franklin | 3.9% | 3.5% | 3.7% |
Ohio | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.7% |
Ripley | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.8% |
Switzerland | 4.3% | 4.0% | 4.4% |
Indiana (seasonally adjusted) | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
U.S. (seasonally adjusted) | 3.9% | 3.9% | 4.4% |
Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development |