Elkhart County unemployment rate hits 15.3 percent for December 2008, leads state

Truth Report

Elkhart County continues to lead the state in unemployment with a rate of 15.3 percent, according to figures released today by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. LaGrange County is a close second with an unemployment rate of 15.1 percent. St. Joseph County ranked 24th with a rate of 9.5 percent.

Indiana capped a troubled year with an unemployment rate that leaped by more than one percent in December. The state's jobless rate rose from 6.9 percent in November to 8.1 percent in December.

The national unemployment rate is 7.1 percent, up from 6.5 percent in November.

The cities of Elkhart and Goshen also remain at the top of Hoosier municipalities with the worst unemployment. The top Indiana five cities with the highest unemployment in December are:

• Elkhart 17.0 percent

• Goshen 15.4 percent

• East Chicago City 12.8 percent

• Marion 11.3 percent

• Kokomo 11.2 percent

Comparatively in December 2007, Elkhart County's unemployment rate was 4.7 percent and the cities of Elkhart and Goshen were 6.2 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively.