Bartholomew County’s unemployment rate has dropped to the fourth lowest in the state and the lowest in the southeastern area of Indiana, according to figures released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development yesterday.
The state agency said that the Bartholomew County unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in November, down from 2.6 percent in October, when we were the seventh lowest in the state.
The only other southern Indiana county with a lower rate was Dubois County which had 2.4 percent, the lowest unemployment rate in the state.
Over the past year, the workforce in the Columbus metropolitan statistical area has grown by almost 1,000 people with 43,894 people holding jobs out of a total workforce of just over 45,000. That leaves just over 1,100 people unemployed in the area.
The next lowest unemployment rate in area counties was in Decatur County, which had a November rate of 2.6 putting it at fifth on the state list.
Unemployment rates in the area included 3 percent in both Brown and Shelby counties, 2.9 percent in Jackson, 2.8 percent in Johnson and 3.7 percent in Jennings County. Jennings was the only area county to fall above the state rate of 3.4 percent.
For more information: