(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana’s unemployment rate went above eight percent in December.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Friday the state’s jobless rate was 8.2 percent last month. Despite adding 8,300 jobs, that’s two points higher than November.

Indiana’s December unemployment was higher than Ohio and Kentucky, where the jobless rates decreased to 6.7 and 8.1 percent, respectively.

Looking at 2012 as a whole, Indiana saw nearly 54,000 jobs added. That’s the largest growth in a calendar year in over a decade, according to the department.

“As evidenced by our December employment numbers, Indiana experienced an exceptional year of job growth in 2012,” said Scott Sanders, Commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development. “The Hoosier State has increased private sector employment by nearly 157,000 since July 2009, the low point of employment in our state, and has been a national leader in job growth during that period.”

Ripley County had the local southeast Indiana area’s highest unemployment at 8.9 percent. Franklin County was the lowest at 7.1 percent. Dearborn County unemployment checked in at 7.8 percent, up a half percent from November.

   Data Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development