LISBON - Columbiana County's unemployment rate increased slightly in June, the first such jump in nearly six months.
The June unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, up from 7.8 percent in May, according to figures released last week by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. This was the first time the unemployment rate had increased since January, when it jumped to 10.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for all of Ohio declined slightly, from 7.3 percent to 7.2 percent in June, while the nationwide jobless rate remained unchanged at 8.2 percent.
The state estimated the number of unemployed in the county totaled 4,200 last month, an increase of 200 from May. The number of new claims for unemployment was 388 in June compared to 335 in May, while 38 countians exhausted their claims last month.
Approximately 171 countians received state unemployment benefits for the first time in June, up from the 105 first-time beneficiaries in May, with the average compensation period being 16 weeks. The average payment is $302 per week.
Columbiana County was not alone, however, with unemployment increasing in 85 of the state's 88 counties. The county's June unemployment rate was the 28th highest among Ohio's counties, down one position from May.
Among immediately adjoining Ohio counties, the county's jobless rate in June remained higher than Mahoning (7.9 percent), Carroll (7 percent) and Stark (7.3 percent) but lower than Jefferson (10.2 percent).
The lowest unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in Mercer County, which is located along the Indiana border, while Pike County in southern Ohio had the highest jobless rate at 13 percent.
