Community Corner
Kent's Jobless Rate Drops to One of Lowest in Ohio
Only 900 city residents were out of work in November and December.
Kent's unemployment rate dropped from 7.3 percent at the start of 2011 to 5.5 percent by year's end, according to the most recent numbers from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.
Kent's 5.5 percent December unemployment rate put the city in a tie with Cleveland Heights, Westlake, Strongsville and Hilliard.
The only cities of any size that are included in public ODJFS statistics to have a lower unemployment rate in Ohio were Dublin (4.7 percent,) Upper Arlington (4.9 percent), Westerville (5.1 percent), Gahanna (5.2 percent), Mason City (5.4 percent) and Shaker Heights (5.4 percent).
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Kent's 2011 unemployment rate peaked at 8 percent in July, when 1,400 city residents were out of work.
That number continued dropping each month until it hit the year's low of 5.5 percent in November and December, when only 900 Kentites reported being unemployed.
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To see a month-by-month breakdown of Kent's 2011 civilian labor force estimates, .
Among the state's 88 counties, the December 2011 unemployment rates ranged from a low of 4.9 percent in Mercer County to a high of 14.3 percent in Pike County. Rates increased in 51 of the 88 counties.
Portage County's unemployment rate of 7.2 percent in December put it at spot 71 on the 88-county list, meaning only 17 Ohio counties had a lower rate. Portage had ended 2010 with a 9.3 percent unemployment rate.
Five counties had unemployment rates below 6.0 percent in December. The counties with the lowest rates, other than Mercer were: Holmes, 5.1; Delaware, 5.3; Geauga 5.8; and Medina, 5.9 percent.
Nine counties had unemployment rates above 11.0 percent during December. The counties with the highest rates, other than Pike, were: Ottawa, 13.3; Adams, 12.0; Meigs, 11.8; Morgan, 11.7; Scioto, 11.5; and Clinton, Noble, and Vinton, 11.1 percent.
Ohio's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in December, down from 8.5 percent in November. Those numbers are slightly less than the U.S. unemployment rate, which was 8.5 percent for December, down from 8.7 percent in November.
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 469,000, down from 496,000 in November. The number of unemployed has decreased by 91,000 in the past 12 months from 560,000. The December unemployment rate for Ohio was down from 9.5 percent in December 2010.