Unemployment comes in at 3.2 percent

The local unemployment rate climbed above the 3 percent mark after hitting historic lows in April and May.

Jay County’s unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in June according to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Monday.

The rate went up 0.4 percentage points from May, when it was lower than 3 percent for the second consecutive month. The April mark of 2.7 percent was the lowest since 2000.

Despite the increase, Jay County’s rate was still 1.6 percentage points lower than at the same time in 2016.

Unemployment remained low across the state, with 43 counties coming in with rates lower than 3 percent. The highest rate in the state was 4.9 percent in Howard County, and the remaining 91 counties all came in lower than 4.5 percent.

Indiana’s rate came in at 3.1 percent. That’s up 0.3 percentage points from May but still well below the national average of 4.5 percent.

“We are pleased to see Indiana's unemployment rate … stay at its lowest levels since the mid-1990s. We believe this is an indication of the state's ongoing strong economy,” said state workforce development commissioner Steven J. Braun in a press release.

Adams County was among the state’s leaders for the second month in a row, tying with Elkhart and Dubois counties for the lowest rate in Indiana at 2.3 percent. They were trailed by Bartholomew, Daviess, Kosciusko and LaGrange counties at 2.4 percent.

Area rates are as follows:

Adams County: 2.3 percent, up 0.3 percentage points, tie lowest.

Blackford County: 3.4 percent, up 0.2 percentage points, t-21st highest.

Delaware County: 3.8 percent, up 0.4 percentage points, t-eighth highest.

Jay County: 3.2 percent, down 0.4 percentage points, t-34th highest.

Randolph County: 3.5 percent, up 0.4 percentage points, t-18th highest.

Wells County: 2.5 percent, up 0.3 percentage points, t-eighth lowest.