Elkhart-Goshen metro area leads nation in February 2009 jobless increase

The IBJ

No other metro area in the nation staged as large of an increase in its unemployment rate in February as Elkhart-Goshen, the U.S. Department of Labor said today.

The northern Indiana region saw its jobless rate climb 12.5 percentage points to a non-seasonally adjusted 18 percent from February 2008.

The region, which is highly concentrated in factories that turn out recreational vehicles and manufactured housing, has been decimated by the recession and, last year, high fuel prices.