(3-17-23) Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.0% in January 2023, down from a revised 4.1% in December 2022. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 14,800 over the month, from a revised 5,554,700 in December 2022 to 5,569,500 in January 2023.
Household Survey Data
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 229,000, down from 236,000 in December. The number of unemployed has decreased by 7,000 in the past 12 months from 236,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio decreased 0.1% from 4.1% in January 2022. The U.S. unemployment rate for January 2023 was 3.4%, down from 3.5% in December 2022, and down from 4.0% in January 2022.
In January 2023, the labor force participation rate in Ohio was 61.2%, unchanged from 61.2% in December 2022 and down from 61.4% in January 2022. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 62.4%, up from 62.3% in December 2022 and up from 62.2% in January 2022.
Mercer County continues to have Ohio’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.6 %, Auglaize County had the second lowest rate at 2.8 %.
- Paulding County 3.2 %
- Van Wert County 3.3%
- Putnam County 3.3%
- Shelby County 3.4%
- Defiance County 3.9%
- Darke County 4.0%
- Allen County 4.2 %
- Hardin County 4.3%
Monroe County has the highest rate at 8.5%
January 2023 Unemployment rates by county
Mercer County Outlook 