Valley’s December jobless rate was 6 percent

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s jobless rate dropped 1.4 percent year over year in December to 6 percent.

In December 2015, the combined rate for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties was 7.4 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The number of unemployed in December 2016 was 14,500, down from 18,500 reported in December 2015, but the number employed also dropped from 232,900 to 227,500.

The Valley’s civilian labor force, or the sum of the unemployed and employed, showed a drop of 9,000, to 242,000 in December 2016.

The December 2016 jobless rate in Mahoning County was 5.9 percent compared with 7.4 percent in December 2015. The number of unemployed in the Valley dropped from 8,000 to 6,200, and the number of employed dropped from 100,700 to 98,800.

The civilian labor force in the county was 105,000, down from 108,700 reported in December 2015.

In Trumbull County, the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in December 2016 compared with 7.8 percent reported in December 2015. The number of unemployed dropped from 7,300 to 5,500, and the number of employed fell from 85,900 to 84,200. The civilian labor force dropped from 93,100 to 89,700.

In Columbiana County, the unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in December 2016 compared with 6.5 percent reported in December 2015. The number of unemployed in the county dropped from 3,200 to 2,800, and the number of employed dropped from 46,300 to 44,500. The county’s civilian labor force was 47,300, down from 49,500 reported in December 2015.

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in December 2016, unchanged from November.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 4.7 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than in November, and 0.3 percentage points lower than in December 2015.