Decatur Daily Democrat
Statistics released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development show the February unemployment rate in Adams County climbed to 14.6 percent - up from 13 percent one month earlier - leaving the county with the eighth-highest jobless rate in the state.
Elkhart County leads the state with an 18 percent unemployment rate for February, followed closely by Lagrange at 17.7 percent and Noble at 16.8 percent. The Steuben County jobless rate was listed at 15.5 percent, Starke County was at 14.8 percent, and Fayette and Lawrence both listed unemployment rates of 14.7 percent.
Although Elkhart County again had the state's highest unemployment rate in February, its jobless rate declined from January's 18.3 percent.
The lowest rates in the state are in Daviess and Hamilton counties, with 5.9 and 6 percent unemployment, respectively.
February jobless rates for the counties bordering Adams included: Allen, 9.8; Wells, 9.9; and Jay, 10.3 percent.
The Adams County rate is likely to be even higher for March since the latest Fleetwood layoff of approximately 200 workers wasn't announced until March 13.
Indiana's preliminary seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in February was 9.4 percent, a 0.1 percent increase from the revised January rate.
Indiana's February unemployment rate is equal to Ohio's 9.4 percent and slightly ahead of Kentucky's 9.2 percent. Illinois had the lowest unemployment rate among neighboring states at 8.6 percent. Michigan leads the region and the nation at 12.0 percent.
About 324,000 Indiana residents were unemployed in February. Although Elkhart County again had the state's highest unemployment rate in February, its jobless rate declined to 18.0 percent, down from January's 18.3 percent.
The state's February jobless rate is the highest since it was at 9.6 percent in December 1983 and January 1984.