Jay’s rate was 4.3% in November

Unemployment in Jay County was up again last month.

According to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released this week, Jay County posted an unemployment rate of 4.3% in November.

The rate was up 0.4 percentage points from the previous month. It also marked an increase of 1.4 percentage points from the same month last year.

Jay County’s unemployment rate has been up and down through 2024, starting at 3.7% in January, climbing to 4.7% in July, dropping back to 3.8% in September and climbing each of the last two months to reach 4.3%. July’s rate was the highest since the spike during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

Unemployment was up throughout the region last month, with every county seeing their mark climb by at least 0.2 percentage points. Adams and Blackford counties matched Jay County with increases of 0.4 percentage points. 

The state’s unemployment rate went up 0.2 percentage points to 4.2%.

Howard County again had far and away the highest unemployment rate in Indiana at 9.3%. Fayette County was next at 6.6%, with Miami County at 6.5%.

Martin County joined Gibson and Daviess counties in a three-way tie for the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.2%.