Unemployment Spike Hits Local Area

Starke County’s unemployment rate has spiked to almost 20 percent. The county went from an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent in March to 19.9 percent in April, according to the latest report from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The number of Starke County residents working is believed to have dropped by almost 1,300.

Pulaski County’s unemployment rate stayed below the state average but still saw a significant spike, going from 3.5 percent in March to 16.2 percent in April. LaPorte County has the highest unemployment rate locally at 20.6 percent, while White County’s is lowest at 11.8.

The state’s highest unemployment rate is in Howard County, where more than a third of the workforce is unemployed.