Unemployment drops to 9.4 percent

The unemployment rate is back below 10 percent.

Jay County had an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent in June according to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released today.

The local unemployment rate has seen significant drops in each of the last two months after peaking at 20.2 percent during the heigh of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown in April. May’s rate was 14.3 percent.

After ranking among the 20 highest unemployment rates in comparison to the state’s other 91 counties in each of the last two months, Jay County was tied with Owen County for the 33rd lowest rate in the state in June.

The pandemic sent the local unemployment rate soaring well behind the most recent highs during the Great Recession when it reached 13 percent in early 2010. The rate had been at 3 percent or lower through the second half of 2019. (The local rate was measured at 3.3 percent in March, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey that is used to determine the rates came early in the month before the pandemic took its toll.)

After posting higher rates than both Indiana and the U.S. in May, Jay County rebounded last month. It came in nearly 2 percentage points better than the state and national marks, which were both 11.2 percent.

Orange County was the only county in Indiana to remain above 20 percent, coming in at 20.2 percent. Howard County had the next highest rate at 16.8 percent.

Daviess County posted the lowest rate for the third consecutive month, as its mark of 5.7 percent was nearly a full point better than runner-up Martin (6.6). Duboise County was next at 7.1 percent.

Area rates are as follows:

Adams County: 7.9 percent, down 1.9 percentage points, t-ninth lowest.

Blackford County: 13.1 percent, down 3 percentage points, 10th highest.

Delaware County: 11.4 percent, down 0.1 percentage points, t-21st highest.

Jay County: 9.4 percent, down 4.9 percentage points, t-33rd lowest.

Randolph County: 11 percent, down 6.8 percentage points, t-37th lowest.

Wells County: 8.4 percent, down 2 percentage points, t-14th lowest.