Jay’s rate is 3.2

While we know unemployment numbers will skyrocket in March, they remained low for February.

Jay County’s unemployment rate dipped back down to 3.2 percent last month, according to numbers Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Monday.

The February mark was a drop of 0.3 percentage points. The county had seen a 0.7-percentage-point increase — the largest since 2013 — from December to January.

That mark is expected to be obliterated when numbers for March are finalized. Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Thursday that it had more than 60,000 unemployment claims during the third week of March, up from 3,400 a week earlier.

Jay County’s unemployment rate was above 3 percent for the second month in a row in February. It had been at 3 percent or lower every month from May to December 2019, hitting a low of 2.4 percent in September.

The local rate was tied for 36th lowest in the state, joining, Wabash, Scott, Monroe, Knox and Decatur counties. It was 0.2 percentage points below the state average of 3.4 percent.

Wells County had the lowest rate in the area at 3 percent while Blackford County was the highest at 4.3 percent.

Statewide, Martin, Hamilton, Dubois and Boone counties were tied for the lowest rate at 2.4 percent.

Crawford County’s rate of 5.6 percent was the highest in Indiana. Only three others were at 5 percent or higher.

Area rates are as follows:

Adams County: 3.1 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-31st lowest

Blackford County: 4.3 percent, down 0.4 percentage points, 11th highest.

Delaware County: 4.0 percent, down 0.2 percentage points, t-16th highest.

Jay County: 3.2 percent, down 0.3 percentage points, t-36th lowest.

Randolph County: 4.2 percent, down 0.3 percentage points, t-12th highest.

Wells County: 3.0 percent, down 0.2 percentage points, t-260th lowest.