Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for October and remains lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana’s unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than five years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Marshall County is ever so slowly sneaking up the list of 92 counties in Indiana on the unemployment list. The October unemployment rate of 3.4 ranks the county 52nd. In July and August the county was ranked 57th and in August and September 58th. Looking back over the past couple of years Marshall County’s unemployment rates have been 2.9 in 2017; 3.3 in 2016; 3.6 in 2015 and 5.1 in 2014.
Taking a look at counties surrounding Marshall you will find Starke County 16th on the October list with a rate of 4.1, an increase from the September rate of 3.7 but still better than their August rate of 4.4 and July rate of 4.3.
Fulton County is 48th on the list of 92 counties with a rate of 3.5, an increase from their 3.1 rate for September but better than their August rate of 3.6 but the July rate of 3.3 was better than October.
Pulaski County has moved down the list of counties and is 67th with an October rate of 3.1. In September there were 57th on the list with a rate of 2.8 and
St. Joseph County’s rate of 3.8 in October ranks them 28th. They had a rate of 3.2 in September, a 4.1 in August and 3.7 in July.
Kosciusko County is holding steady with an October rate of 2.8 ranking their 85th of the 92 counties. They were 85th in September with a rate of 2.3, 79th in August with a rate of 3.1 and 81st in July with a rate of 2.8. The September rate of 2.3 moved them up to 85th
Elkhart County is beginning to creep up the list of counties after having been at the bottom of the list in July with an unemployment rate of 2.6. In August they were 88th on the list with a rate of 2.9. September saw them move up to 85th with a rate of 2.3. Elkhart County’s October rate of 2.9 moved them up to 78th in the rankings of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 5,303 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,411 increase in unemployed residents and an increase of 2,892 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.40 million, and the state’s 65.1 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.9 percent.
Private sector employment has grown by more than 25,500 over the year, and has increased by 3,400 over the previous month, primarily due to gains in the Private Educational and Health Services (2,500) and the Construction (1,500) sectors. Gains were partially offset by losses in the Leisure and Hospitality (-2,500) and the Other (-100), which includes Mining and Logging, IT and Other Services sectors. Total private employment reached a preliminary record highpoint of 2,713,200, which is 24,300 above the official December 2017 peak. The new October 2018 peak, like all data within this report, is subject to monthly revisions and annual benchmarking. In addition, preliminary Construction jobs are at the highest level since April 2008.
