January Unemployment Rates Up from Previous Month

January unemployment rates were up in Starke and Pulaski counties from the previous month.

According to data released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Starke County had an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent in January. That’s a 1.1-percent increase from the previous month, but a decline of 0.2 percent from the same period a year ago. At the same time, the number of people looking for work was a bit higher in January than it was in December, but lower compared to January 2016.

In Pulaski County, the January unemployment rate was 5.5 percent – one percent higher than December, but just 0.3 percent higher when compared to the same period a year ago. The number of people in the county’s workforce has also dropped slightly.

Locally, LaPorte County had the highest January unemployment rate at 6.6 percent, while Marshall County was lowest with 4.2 percent. Indiana as a whole saw an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent in January.