Unemployment rate dips to 3.9

March was a good month for Jay County on the unemployment front.

The local unemployment rate was down nearly a full percentage point from February according to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Monday. It came in at 3.9 percent.

In addition to seeing a 0.8-percentage-point drop in March from the previous month, Jay County’s unemployment rate was a significant improvement over the same time last year. The March 2016 number was 5.6 percent.

It was a strong month for the area and the state, as each of the counties adjacent to Jay saw their rates drop by at least 0.5 percentage points. Blackford and Randolph counties each had their rates drop by 1.1 percentage points. Indiana’s rate fell by 0.9 percentage points to 3.8 percent, its lowest in more than a decade and a half.

“Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to drop, and the 3.8 percent rate for March is the lowest it’s been since 2001,” said workforce development commissioner Steven J. Braun in a press release. “While this is a positive economic indicator, there are thousands of good-paying jobs currently available in Indiana that require in-demand skills.” 

Adams and Wells counties continue to be among the best performers in the state, coming in tied for the 10th-lowest rate among Indiana’s 92 counties at 3.1 percent. LaGrange, Elkhart and Dubois counties led the list at 2.8 percent.

Vermillion County posted the highest unemployment rate in the state at 5.9 percent.

Area rates are as follows:

Adams County: 3.1 percent, down 0.5 percentage points, t-10th lowest.

Blackford County: 4.7 percent, down 1.1 percentage points, t-13th highest.

Delaware County: 4.7 percent, down 0.8 percentage points, t-13th highest.

Jay County: 3.9 percent, down 0.8 percentage points, t-39th highest.

Randolph County: 4.5 percent, down 1.1 percentage points, t-17th highest.

Wells County: 3.1 percent, down 0.8 percentage points, t-10 lowest.