This graphic shows how high or low the unemployment rate is in all 88 counties in Ohio. The lighter-colored counties have lower unemployment rates while darker-colored counties have higher unemployment rates.
ODJFS graphic
The unemployment rate in Highland County rose significantly in January to 5.5 percent, according to the latest figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).
The ODJFS said the labor force in Highland County has 17,400 workers, with 16,400 members of the force employed and 1,000 unemployed. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
Of the 88 counties in Ohio, Highland County is ranked 19th in terms of the highest unemployment rate in the state, tied with one other county.
Seasonal adjustment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a “statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment change from month to month.”
It considers the changes in labor market activity because of seasonal events like weather, harvests and major holidays. Because the seasonal events are mostly the same every year, the change in the trends can be eliminated by seasonally adjusting the statistics from month to month. The adjustments allow people to see the underlying trends and other nonseasonal movements, ODJFS said.
The county unemployment rates in Ohio ranged from a low of 2.5 percent in Mercer County to a high of 7.8 percent in Meigs County.
The state had three counties at or below 3.0 percent unemployment in January: Mercer County at 2.5 percent, Holmes County at 2.8 percent and Auglaize County at 2.9 percent.
The state had eight counties at or above 6.5 percent unemployment in January: Meigs County at 7.8 percent, Ottawa County at 7.6 percent, Adams and Monroe counties at 7.3 percent, Huron County at 6.9 percent, Morgan and Noble counties at 6.8 percent and Vinton County at 6.5 percent.
According to ODJFS, unemployment increased in all 88 Ohio counties.
Of the six counties contiguous to Highland County, Fayette County had 4.1 percent unemployment in January, Ross County had 4.1 percent, Clinton County had 4.7 percent, Brown County had 5.4 percent, Pike County had 5.8 percent and Adams County had 7.3 percent.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
