Toledo-area jobless rates decline in March

4/21/2010
BLADE STAFF

Jobless rates across most counties in northwest Ohio declined slightly in March, including drops of 0.2 percentage points in both Lucas County and the city of Toledo, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

In Lucas County, the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate estimate declined to 12.8 percent in March from 13 percent rate in February. In Toledo, the rate declined from 13.5 percent to 13.3 percent.

Ottawa County, which had the highest jobless rate in the state earlier this year, saw its estimated unemployment drop by 1 percent, from 19 percent in February to 18 percent in March.

Jobless rates declined in March in almost all counties in northwest Ohio. Only Hardin County saw its unemployment rise slightly, the department said.