Unemployment rates are down in Starke and Pulaski counties, but so is the number of residents working.
Starke County’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.5 percent in June to 5.1 percent in July, according to the latest report from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The drop was even bigger in Pulaski County, going from 4.2 to 3.5.
That wasn’t because more people are working but because fewer people are in the labor force. The number of residents believed to be employed actually dropped by 124 in Starke County and 59 in Pulaski County, from June to July.
The local unemployment rates remain lower than the national rate. The U.S. had a non-seasonally adjusted July unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. Indiana’s rate was 4.2.
