When the August unemployment rate numbers were released earlier this week, Richland County remained in a generally strong position compared to Ohio as a whole though not faring as well as several other counties in north central Ohio.
Ohio’s overall rate was at 4.7 percent, just 0.2 percent the local figure, and down 0.1 from the month before. According to a press release from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, “Goods-producing industries, at 905,100, added 2,600 jobs over the month in construction (+2,100), manufacturing (+400), and mining and logging (+100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,812,900, lost 7,600 jobs. Employment losses in professional and business services (-5,500), trade, transportation, and utilities (-2,400), other services (-2,400), and educational and health services (-1,600), exceeded gains in leisure and hospitality (+2,600), financial activities (+1,600), and information (+100). Government employment, at 785,400, increased 3,000 as gains in local (+3,100) and federal (+200) government outweighed losses in state government (-300).”
Much of the western and northern parts of Ohio saw rates below the statewide number, while Appalachia continued its traditional position of higher unemployment. The lowest rate was an amazing 3.0 percent in Mercer County, while the highest was 9.0 percent in Monroe County. Five counties had rates exceeding 7.0 percent.
As for contiguous counties, they were measured as follows:
- Huron – 5.0 percent
- Crawford – 5.5 percent
- Morrow – 4.4 percent
- Knox – 4.1 percent
- Ashland – 4.3 percent
