Jay rate now lower than Randolph

For a three-month stretch, Jay County had slipped behind its neighbor to the south. Now it’s back ahead of Randolph County, if only slightly.
For the first time since August, Jay County posted a lower unemployment rate than Randolph County in December according to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Wednesday.
Jay County’s rate saw a slight increase in December, ticking up to 4.7 percent. That’s half a percentage point lower than at the same time in 2014.
Meanwhile, Randolph County’s rate jumped a half of a percentage point in December to 4.8 percent.
Most of the area saw slight unemployment increases, with only Adams County having its rate go down from November to December.
Indiana was similarly stable, as its rate went up just 0.1 percentage points to 4.6 percent. The Hoosier state’s rate in December 2014 was 5.7 percent.
“Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to be at its lowest level in more than a decade,” said Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development Steven J. Braun. “Additionally, claims for unemployment insurance are at their lowest point since 1998.”
Adams County continued to be the area leader, ranking among the 10 lowest rates out of the state’s 92 counties for the fifth month in a row. It was tied for the fourth-lowest rate in Indiana at 3.5 percent.
The only counties better than Adams were Hamilton (3.1 percent), Bartholomew (3.3) and Dubois (3.3).
After nine consecutive months of posting the highest unemployment rate in the state, Vermillion dropped to second highest in December at 7.0 percent. Greene County had the highest rate in Indiana at 7.3 percent.
Area unemployment rates are as follows
Adams County: 3.5 percent, down 0.1 percentage points, t-fourth lowest.
Blackford County: 6.0 percent, up 0.2 percentage points, t-11th highest.
Delaware County: 5.4 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-18th highest.
Jay County: 4.7 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-38th highest.
Randolph County: 4.8 percent, up 0.5 percentage points, t-31st highest.
Wells County: 3.8 percent, no change, t-12th lowest.