Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2percent for February and remains lower than the national rate of 4.1 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana’s unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Looking at Marshall County you will see the February rate was 3.5 ranking us 58th of the 92 counties. In January the unemployment rate of 3.3 ranked us 62nd. As you can see the unemployment rate increased from January to February by 2 tenths of a percent. This rate was 2.7 in December and 3.0 in November. One year ago, Marshall County was 71st of the 92 counties with a rate of 4.1.
Taking a look at the counties surrounding Marshall you will find Starke County who moved from 8th on the list to 6th with a rate of 5.3, up from the 5.1 rate in January.
Fulton County’s unemployment rate also saw a slight increase from the January was 4.0. They are 25th on the list of counties with a rate of 4.2.
Pulaski County remained steady from January to February with a rate of 3.7. Their ranking improved from 45th to 51st.
St. Joseph County had a slight increase from their 3.6 rate in December to 3.8 for February. They were 51st but dropped ro 45 for February.
Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties continue to hover at the bottom of the list of counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates. Kosciusko County is 8tth on the list with a rate of 2.8, up from the 2.7 rate in February while Elkhart County remains 91st with a rate of 2.5, the slightest increase from their 2.4 rate in February.
Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 2,495 over the previous month. This was a result of 2,243 unemployed residents no longer seeking employment within the past four weeks, and a 4,738 increase in residents employed. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.31 million, and the state’s 63.7 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 63.0 percent.
In addition, Indiana’s initial unemployment insurance claims continue to be at historical lows.
Learn more about how unemployment rates are calculated here: http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/infographics/employment-status.asp.
