Counties with the highest unemployment in Indiana
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Indiana using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Indiana.
#50. Brown County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,882 people (316 unemployed)
#49. Knox County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,357 people (688 unemployed)
#48. Huntington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,897 people (710 unemployed)
#47. Marion County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 507,623 people (20,316 unemployed)
#46. Jay County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,700 people (358 unemployed)
#45. Spencer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,006 people (415 unemployed)
#44. Washington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,645 people (559 unemployed)
#43. Putnam County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,963 people (691 unemployed)
#42. Dearborn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,558 people (1,053 unemployed)
#41. Switzerland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,526 people (190 unemployed)
#40. Pike County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,721 people (243 unemployed)
#39. Parke County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,047 people (298 unemployed)
#38. Wabash County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,896 people (624 unemployed)
#37. Noble County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,682 people (902 unemployed)
#36. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,011 people (960 unemployed)
#35. Kosciusko County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,590 people (1,679 unemployed)
#34. Clay County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,362 people (490 unemployed)
#33. Grant County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,381 people (1,355 unemployed)
#32. Henry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,945 people (955 unemployed)
#31. Monroe County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 71,066 people (3,095 unemployed)
#30. Elkhart County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 106,401 people (4,661 unemployed)
#29. Orange County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,273 people (376 unemployed)
#28. Scott County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,404 people (472 unemployed)
#27. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,008 people (490 unemployed)
#26. Madison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 60,459 people (2,721 unemployed)
#25. Randolph County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,476 people (523 unemployed)
#24. Wayne County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,997 people (1,339 unemployed)
#23. Porter County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 84,439 people (3,887 unemployed)
#22. Jennings County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,295 people (619 unemployed)
#21. Cass County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,050 people (809 unemployed)
#20. Newton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,659 people (319 unemployed)
#19. Ripley County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,357 people (597 unemployed)
#18. Miami County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,064 people (674 unemployed)
#17. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,779 people (955 unemployed)
#16. St. Joseph County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 129,961 people (6,195 unemployed)
#15. Blackford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,735 people (231 unemployed)
#14. Fulton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,066 people (444 unemployed)
#13. Owen County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,406 people (465 unemployed)
#12. Jasper County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,739 people (778 unemployed)
#11. Greene County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,407 people (677 unemployed)
#10. Vigo County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,947 people (2,234 unemployed)
#9. Crawford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,714 people (240 unemployed)
#8. Delaware County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,979 people (2,644 unemployed)
#7. Vermillion County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,459 people (336 unemployed)
#6. Sullivan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,824 people (405 unemployed)
#5. LaPorte County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,927 people (2,462 unemployed)
#4. Fayette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,305 people (446 unemployed)
#3. Starke County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,385 people (520 unemployed)
#2. Howard County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,096 people (1,910 unemployed)
#1. Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 224,277 people (13,466 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
