Here's how unemployment in Belmont County, Ohio compares

Belmont County's unemployment rate in December was 4.1%—ranked #16 highest out of 88 in the state.

Nationally, unemployment has leveled with pre-COVID rates, measuring between 3.5% and 4% for most of the past two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed a 3.7% unemployment rate in January. Previously, unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and those rates remained elevated through late 2021.

Though national unemployment has mostly normalized, local economies vary widely. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze unemployment in Belmont County over time, and how it stacks up within Ohio and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Belmont County is 0.4 percentage points above the national level, and 0.4 percentage points above the state level. It ranks #16 among counties in Ohio—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It trails behind Erie County, which also has an unemployment rate of 4.1%, but surpasses Athens County (which has the same unemployment rate).

In real terms, it means an estimated 1,096 of Belmont County's approximately 26,740 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 93 more than last month and 205 fewer than a year ago. Some economists fret another recession may be on the horizon, which would drive unemployment up with business closures and layoffs.

This story was produced using automation across 3,100 counties, boroughs, and parishes, based on writing and data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.