After falling to its lowest point of the year in November, local unemployment rates jumped back up around northwest Ohio in December. Ohio Job and Family Services reports every county but one was below the state average of 4.5%, and that was Henry County. The jobless rate in Henry County spiked from 3.8 to 5.1% last month. Williams County was lowest in the four-county area at 3.9% unemployment; while Defiance County was next at 4.3%. Fulton County checked-in at 4.4%, up from 3.7 in November. The lowest jobless rate in the region was again Putnam County at 3.5%; but that was even up a half-percent. Paulding County checked-in at 4%, and Wood County at 3.8.
Around the state, Mercer County had the lowest unemployment in December at 2.8%; while Monroe County topped the state with a jobless rate of 8.8%.