Jay rate up to 3.4%

After dropping significantly in April, unemployment rates jumped back up last month.

Indiana Department of Workforce Development estimates released this week show Jay County with an unemployment rate of 3.4% ranking it tied for 44th-lowest in the state.

The rate went up 0.8 percentage points from April after having gone down 0.9 percentage points the previous month. (It has been above 3% every month this year except for April.) It is up 0.9 percentage points from May 2022.

While Jay County’s rate went up significantly, its increase was the smallest in the six-county region. Four adjacent counties —Adams, Blackford, Delaware and Randolph — had increases of 1 percentage point or more while Wells County’s rate went up by 0.9 percentage points.

Local unemployment had been below 3% for 18 consecutive months prior to January. It has not been above 4% since July 2020. (It had spiked to 19.9% in April 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.)

The increase in unemployment last month was statewide, with Indiana’s rate up to 3.5% after being at 2.6% in April. (It was 3.5% in March as well.)

Boone and Gibson counties were again tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.7%.

Daviess and Hamilton counties followed at 2.8%. Eight counties, including Wells, were tied at 2.9%.

Howard County posted the highest unemployment rate in the state for the second consecutive month at 5.4% Lake County was next at 5%.

Area rates are as follows:

•Adams County: 3%, up 1 percentage point, tied for 13th-lowest

•Blackford County: 4.5%, up 1.3 percentage points, fourth-highest

•Delaware County: 4.2%, up 1.1 percentage points, tied for sixth-highest

•Jay County: 3.4%, up 0.8 percentage points, tied for 44th-lowest

•Randolph County: 3.5%, up 1 percentage point, tied for 35th-highest

•Wells County: 2.9%, up 0.9 percentage point, tied for fifth-lowest