Counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio

Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last month.

As of August, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 315 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 45 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Ohio, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in August 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.

The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.1% in September, down slightly from the previous month. Still, it's up substantially from 3.8% during the same month last year and remains higher than it had otherwise been since December 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth.

Since last year, unemployment has spiked in half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio.

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#50. Erie County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,303 people (1,596 unemployed)

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#49. Muskingum County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,621 people (1,703 unemployed)

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#48. Greene County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,560 people (3,397 unemployed)

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#47. Portage County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 86,317 people (3,582 unemployed)

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#46. Cuyahoga County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 617,573 people (25,218 unemployed)

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#45. Harrison County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,926 people (292 unemployed)

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#44. Carroll County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,640 people (528 unemployed)

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#43. Henry County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,053 people (553 unemployed)

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#42. Ottawa County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,231 people (932 unemployed)

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#41. Ashland County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,167 people (1,095 unemployed)

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#40. Seneca County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,792 people (1,123 unemployed)

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#39. Marion County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,226 people (1,149 unemployed)

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#38. Huron County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,725 people (1,214 unemployed)

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#37. Hamilton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 431,546 people (18,059 unemployed)

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#36. Morgan County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,997 people (298 unemployed)

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#35. Defiance County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,959 people (770 unemployed)

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#34. Allen County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,391 people (2,034 unemployed)

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#33. Wood County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 70,588 people (3,000 unemployed)

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#32. Stark County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 182,692 people (7,776 unemployed)

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#31. Perry County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,270 people (718 unemployed)

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#30. Clark County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 63,987 people (2,806 unemployed)

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#29. Summit County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 268,955 people (11,742 unemployed)

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#28. Guernsey County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,182 people (823 unemployed)

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#27. Clinton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,498 people (848 unemployed)

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#26. Richland County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,565 people (2,383 unemployed)

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#25. Montgomery County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 250,190 people (11,557 unemployed)

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#24. Vinton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,492 people (258 unemployed)

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#23. Highland County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,777 people (832 unemployed)

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#22. Crawford County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,151 people (861 unemployed)

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#21. Brown County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,950 people (935 unemployed)

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#20. Ashtabula County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,764 people (2,037 unemployed)

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#19. Columbiana County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,321 people (2,108 unemployed)

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#18. Belmont County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,278 people (1,347 unemployed)

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#17. Coshocton County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,031 people (692 unemployed)

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#16. Washington County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,503 people (1,339 unemployed)

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#15. Gallia County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,972 people (600 unemployed)

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#14. Hardin County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,028 people (645 unemployed)

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#13. Mahoning County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,279 people (4,927 unemployed)

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#12. Pike County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,415 people (579 unemployed)

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#11. Lawrence County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,920 people (1,222 unemployed)

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#10. Adams County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,497 people (596 unemployed)

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#9. Trumbull County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,832 people (4,350 unemployed)

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#8. Jackson County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,797 people (678 unemployed)

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#7. Noble County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,731 people (254 unemployed)

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#6. Scioto County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,392 people (1,663 unemployed)

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#5. Lucas County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 207,579 people (11,482 unemployed)

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#4. Monroe County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,221 people (324 unemployed)

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#3. Meigs County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,564 people (542 unemployed)

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#2. Jefferson County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,456 people (1,743 unemployed)

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#1. Athens County

- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,292 people (1,555 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.