Counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Ohio using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio.
#50. Portage County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 86,332 people (3,747 unemployed)
#49. Defiance County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,643 people (771 unemployed)
#48. Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 122,494 people (5,445 unemployed)
#47. Sandusky County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,989 people (1,354 unemployed)
#46. Montgomery County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 247,643 people (11,197 unemployed)
#45. Morrow County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,207 people (784 unemployed)
#44. Ashland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,861 people (1,180 unemployed)
#43. Summit County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 268,777 people (12,246 unemployed)
#42. Stark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 181,767 people (8,579 unemployed)
#41. Cuyahoga County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 587,433 people (27,526 unemployed)
#40. Lorain County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 150,601 people (7,248 unemployed)
#39. Champaign County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,531 people (950 unemployed)
#38. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,931 people (1,183 unemployed)
#37. Harrison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,678 people (337 unemployed)
#36. Hocking County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,137 people (651 unemployed)
#35. Clinton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,514 people (918 unemployed)
#34. Fulton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,101 people (1,115 unemployed)
#33. Lucas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 206,800 people (10,276 unemployed)
#32. Carroll County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,651 people (643 unemployed)
#31. Athens County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,237 people (1,379 unemployed)
#30. Crawford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,654 people (915 unemployed)
#29. Muskingum County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,705 people (2,156 unemployed)
#28. Columbiana County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,073 people (2,336 unemployed)
#27. Coshocton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,700 people (728 unemployed)
#26. Richland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,134 people (2,694 unemployed)
#25. Gallia County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,445 people (671 unemployed)
#24. Perry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,188 people (876 unemployed)
#23. Mahoning County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,160 people (5,314 unemployed)
#22. Highland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,673 people (968 unemployed)
#21. Ashtabula County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,968 people (2,381 unemployed)
#20. Henry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,825 people (721 unemployed)
#19. Brown County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,863 people (1,113 unemployed)
#18. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 64,145 people (3,563 unemployed)
#17. Trumbull County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,868 people (4,694 unemployed)
#16. Washington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,978 people (1,530 unemployed)
#15. Erie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,613 people (2,015 unemployed)
#14. Pike County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,140 people (662 unemployed)
#13. Belmont County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,225 people (1,658 unemployed)
#12. Scioto County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,906 people (1,772 unemployed)
#11. Vinton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,508 people (332 unemployed)
#10. Jefferson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,856 people (1,603 unemployed)
#9. Guernsey County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,910 people (1,089 unemployed)
#8. Jackson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,676 people (791 unemployed)
#7. Huron County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,614 people (1,836 unemployed)
#6. Morgan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,957 people (470 unemployed)
#5. Noble County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,626 people (335 unemployed)
#4. Adams County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,419 people (830 unemployed)
#3. Monroe County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,203 people (384 unemployed)
#2. Meigs County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,826 people (666 unemployed)
#1. Ottawa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,230 people (1,510 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
