Local Unemployment Trending Down, but Still High

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The area’s unemployment rate continued its downward trend in June, but numbers are still far higher than prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

In its monthly report, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Trumbull County had an unemployment rate of 13.6% in June, third highest n the state, while Mahoning County had a rate of 13.2% (No. 6 in Ohio) and Columbiana County had a rate of 11.9% (No. 14 in the state). 

All three counties were down from the May rate of 16.3% in Trumbull County and 15.3% in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Meanwhile, the June 2019 unemployment rates were 6.2% in Trumbull County, 5.9% in Mahoning County and 5% in Columbiana County.

Among cities, Warren ranked sixth in unemployment rate at 16.9%, with Youngstown not far behind at 16.3%. Both were down from May’s rates of 19.% and 17.4%, respectively. A year ago, Warren posted an unemployment rate of 7.6% and Youngstown was at 7.5%. 

Five Ohio cities had higher unemployment rates than Warren: Maple Heights at 20.3%, Cleveland at 19.4%, Garfield Heights at 18.4%, Lorain at 17.8% and Sandusky at 17%.

In the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman metropolitan statistical area – which includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties, as well as Mercer County in Pennsylvania – the unemployment rate was 13.2%, down from 15.3% in May but up substantially from 58% in June 2019.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.