Ohio County Leads Local Counties With Lowest Jobless Rate In February

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 7:21 AM

Ohio, Franklin, and Ripley counties have a jobless rate that is even or below the statewide rate.

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(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Three area counties saw their unemployment rate drop from January to February, while two others remained the same.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development announced Monday employment data for counties, towns, and cities for the month of February.

Locally, Ohio County led the way with an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, falling below the statewide rate of 4.0 percent and the national rate of 6.2 percent.

Franklin and Ripley counties had a jobless rate of 4.0 percent in February, while Dearborn County maintained an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent.

Switzerland County's unemployment rate remained unchanged from January to February at 5.1 percent.

At this time last year, all five counties had a jobless rate at 3.9 or lower.

Hoosiers receiving unemployment insurance benefits can visit the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) website to find information about how the American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) might affect their benefits.

ARPA, signed by President Biden on March 11, extends the federal program from week ending March 20 through the week ending Sept. 4. The latest federal weekly benefit was set to expire on March 14.

Visit https://www.in.gov/dwd/indiana-unemployment/arpa/ for the ARPA Notices. Visit www.unemployment.in.gov and link to the FAQs for DWD’s Frequently Asked Questions on unemployment, including the ARPA changes.