Valley unemployment rate up 1 percent

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.2 percent during September, up 1 percent from last September.

The number of unemployed went up to 17,600 from 15,200 while the number of employed dropped to 225,600 from 228,500, according to data released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The civilian labor force, which is the sum of the employed and unemployed, dropped to 243,000 from September 2016’s 244,000 figure.

In Mahoning County, the unemployment rate increased to 7.5 percent from 6.1 percent last September. The number of unemployed went up to 7,900 from 6,500, and the number of employed dropped to 97,500 from 99,100. The civilian labor force dropped to 105,400 from 105,600.

In Trumbull County, the unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent from 6.3 percent. The number of unemployed was 7,100 from 5,700, and the number of employed was 83,000, down from 84,300. The civilian labor force was 90,100, up from 90,000.

In Columbiana County, the unemployment rate dropped from 6.4 percent in September 2016 down to 5.5 percent in September 2017. The number of unemployed in the county was 2,600, down from 3,100 the previous year. The number employed was unchanged at 45,100. The civilian labor force was 47,800, down from 48,200.

The city of Youngstown’s unemployment rate last month stood at 8.6 percent, up from 7.8 percent in September 2016. The civilian labor force was 22,600, of which 20,700 were employed.

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in September, down from 5.4 percent in August.

The U.S. unemployment rate for September was 4.2 percent, down from 4.4 percent in August and down from 4.9 percent in September 2016.