COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in April, down from 4.1% in March, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Friday.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 7,800 over the month, from a revised 5,679,300 in March to 5,687,100 in April.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in April was 232,000, down from 243,000 in March. The number of unemployed has decreased by 52,000 in the past 12 months from 284,000. The April unemployment rate for Ohio decreased 0.9 percentage points from 4.8% in April 2025.

The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 4.3%, unchanged from March and up from 4.2% in April 2025.

In April, the labor force participation rate in Ohio was 61.9%, down from 62.1% in March and down from 62.7% in April 2025. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 61.8%, down from 61.9% in March and down from 62.6% in April 2025.

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 958,200, increased 5,200 over the month as gains in manufacturing and construction surpassed losses in mining and logging. The private service-providing sector, at 3,937,700, increased 1,900 as gains in leisure and hospitality; information; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; and private educational and health services outpaced losses in other services and professional and business services. Government employment, at 791,200, increased 700 in local and state government. Employment in federal government did not change over the month.

From April 2025 to April 2026, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 16,600. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 13,300, led by construction, which added 11,500 jobs. Manufacturing added 1,500 jobs, with gains in durable goods surpassing losses in nondurable goods. Mining and logging gained 300 jobs over the year. Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 7,100 as gains in private educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and information exceeded losses in other services; professional and business services; and trade, transportation and utilities. Government employment decreased 3,800 over the year, as losses in federal and state government outweighed gains in local government.