Counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio

Stacker
·11 min read
Counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio

While today’s unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession. The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of January 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.7%—unchanged from the previous month and up slightly from January 2023. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.9% in Maryland to 5.4% in Nevada.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Ohio using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2023, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County unemployment rates are released about a month behind the national numbers. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

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#50. Tuscarawas County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 44,297 people (1,361 unemployed)

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#49. Hardin County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,624 people (404 unemployed)

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#48. Morrow County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,979 people (537 unemployed)

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#47. Ashland County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,218 people (804 unemployed)

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#46. Portage County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 86,246 people (2,722 unemployed)

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#45. Lorain County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 152,234 people (4,850 unemployed)

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#44. Cuyahoga County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 594,291 people (19,022 unemployed)

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#43. Seneca County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,216 people (872 unemployed)

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#42. Sandusky County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 29,532 people (984 unemployed)

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#41. Clark County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 63,025 people (2,108 unemployed)

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#40. Stark County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 181,348 people (6,017 unemployed)

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#39. Montgomery County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 248,402 people (8,113 unemployed)

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#38. Summit County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 268,396 people (8,874 unemployed)

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#37. Harrison County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,548 people (224 unemployed)

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#36. Hocking County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,942 people (446 unemployed)

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#35. Lawrence County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,651 people (801 unemployed)

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#34. Carroll County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,594 people (441 unemployed)

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#33. Clinton County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,147 people (635 unemployed)

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#32. Fulton County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,566 people (765 unemployed)

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#31. Muskingum County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 41,130 people (1,439 unemployed)

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#30. Columbiana County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 44,306 people (1,586 unemployed)

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#29. Crawford County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,469 people (652 unemployed)

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#28. Lucas County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 201,940 people (7,523 unemployed)

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#27. Coshocton County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,606 people (511 unemployed)

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#26. Perry County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,952 people (602 unemployed)

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#25. Brown County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,760 people (759 unemployed)

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#24. Ashtabula County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 42,098 people (1,612 unemployed)

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#23. Richland County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 51,014 people (1,917 unemployed)

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#22. Mahoning County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 96,276 people (3,785 unemployed)

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#21. Highland County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 2.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,240 people (683 unemployed)

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#20. Washington County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,494 people (1,057 unemployed)

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#19. Trumbull County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 81,286 people (3,287 unemployed)

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#18. Gallia County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,247 people (508 unemployed)

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#17. Athens County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,910 people (1,056 unemployed)

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#16. Belmont County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,740 people (1,096 unemployed)

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#15. Erie County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 34,463 people (1,424 unemployed)

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#14. Scioto County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 29,675 people (1,261 unemployed)

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#13. Pike County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,111 people (473 unemployed)

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#12. Henry County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,695 people (540 unemployed)

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#11. Jackson County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,478 people (543 unemployed)

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#10. Guernsey County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,683 people (775 unemployed)

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#9. Vinton County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,344 people (239 unemployed)

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#8. Morgan County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,778 people (309 unemployed)

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#7. Jefferson County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,682 people (1,255 unemployed)

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#6. Huron County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 27,365 people (1,275 unemployed)

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#5. Adams County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,992 people (534 unemployed)

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#4. Noble County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,507 people (230 unemployed)

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#3. Meigs County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,525 people (455 unemployed)

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#2. Ottawa County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,842 people (1,091 unemployed)

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#1. Monroe County

– December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,098 people (294 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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