Valley Cities Top Ohio Jobless Rates in March

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The two largest cities in the Mahoning Valley posted the highest unemployment rates among Ohio’s major cities in March as rates in both rose half a percentage point or more from February.

Trumbull and Mahoning counties also landed in the top five among Ohio’s 88 counties for the month, according to data released this morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Warren had the highest rate last month, 10.5%, up a full point from 9.5% in February and also up from 8.2% in March 2016. Following with the state’s second-highest rate was Youngstown, with a 10.1% jobless rate in March, up from 9.5% in February and 8.1% in March 2016.

Trumbull County was tied with Jackson County for the second-highest unemployment rate among Ohio counties. Trumbull posted a 9.2% for the month, up nearly a full point from 8.4% in February and up nearly two full points from 7.3% in March 2016.

Mahoning County’s 8.7% late last month tied it with Meigs County for the fourth-highest statewide. Mahoning’s March 2017 rate compares to 6.8% a year earlier and 7.9% in February.

In Columbiana County, unemployment fell during the month, with a 6.8% rate in March compared to 7.3% in February and 7.4% in March 2016.

The Youngstown-Warren metropolitan statistical area had the highest unemployment rate among Ohio’s 10 MSAs at 8.3%. That was up from 7.7% in February and from 6.9% in March 2016. The MSA covers Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer County, Pa.

Second was the Weirton-Steubenville MSA at 7.2%.

The unemployment rate was higher for the Ohio-only portion of the Youngstown-Warren MSA, 8.9% last month, compared to 8.1% in February and 7.0% in March 2016.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.