Howard County continues unemployment rate reign
Nov. 23—Howard County retained its top spot for the Indiana county with the highest October unemployment rate.
The county posted an October non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.8%, according to figures released Monday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. That's the highest in the state, behind Fayette County's 4.2% unemployment rate. Howard County has lead the state in its unemployment rate since June.
Miami and Tipton counties' non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for October were 3.6% and 2.7%. That ranked fourth and 48th in the state, respectively.
Indiana's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 3%.
According to data from the DWD, the majority of Howard County's initial (those filing for unemployment) and continued claims (those receiving unemployment benefits) are primarily in the manufacturing sector.
By the end of October, a reported 383 people were receiving unemployment benefits with 286 of those in the manufacturing sector, followed by health care and social services at 17.
Continued claims peaked in the middle of October at 577 in the week ending Oct. 22. It has steadily declined ever since. Initial claims hovered around 100 each week in October and have increased in November, most recently reported at 173 in the week ending Nov. 12.
Notably, the October 2022 estimated labor force for the Kokomo Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes just Howard County, was 33,730. That's an increase from October 2021 when it was 33,511.
Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.
