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 March 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 have mixed 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 April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up 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.
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#50. Morgan County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 37,605 people (1,443 unemployed)
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#49. Allen County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 187,785 people (7,083 unemployed)
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#48. Brown County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,839 people (303 unemployed)
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#47. Washington County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,522 people (533 unemployed)
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#46. Vanderburgh County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 90,925 people (3,509 unemployed)
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#45. Tippecanoe County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 99,747 people (3,866 unemployed)
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#44. Fountain County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,788 people (308 unemployed)
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#43. Spencer County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,080 people (403 unemployed)
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#42. Wabash County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,852 people (597 unemployed)
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#41. Dearborn County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,724 people (1,028 unemployed)
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#40. Marion County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 512,151 people (20,284 unemployed)
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#39. Noble County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,630 people (879 unemployed)
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#38. Switzerland County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,516 people (190 unemployed)
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#37. Clay County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,353 people (477 unemployed)
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#36. Randolph County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,441 people (483 unemployed)
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#35. Henry County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,996 people (925 unemployed)
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#34. Marshall County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,947 people (968 unemployed)
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#33. Grant County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 31,712 people (1,342 unemployed)
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#32. Parke County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,973 people (297 unemployed)
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#31. Scott County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,527 people (452 unemployed)
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#30. Franklin County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,921 people (475 unemployed)
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#29. Kosciusko County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 39,705 people (1,715 unemployed)
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#28. Madison County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 60,611 people (2,576 unemployed)
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#27. Orange County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,174 people (359 unemployed)
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#26. Jennings County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,359 people (588 unemployed)
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#25. Monroe County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 70,818 people (3,113 unemployed)
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#24. Porter County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 85,111 people (3,770 unemployed)
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#23. Elkhart County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 106,633 people (4,733 unemployed)
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#22. Newton County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,555 people (297 unemployed)
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#21. Owen County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,239 people (423 unemployed)
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#20. Ripley County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,440 people (578 unemployed)
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#19. Cass County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,949 people (786 unemployed)
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#18. Wayne County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 28,979 people (1,329 unemployed)
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#17. Blackford County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,741 people (223 unemployed)
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#16. Miami County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,039 people (665 unemployed)
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#15. Lawrence County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,834 people (929 unemployed)
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#14. Vigo County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 45,176 people (2,135 unemployed)
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#13. St. Joseph County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 131,180 people (6,214 unemployed)
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#12. Crawford County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,726 people (229 unemployed)
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#11. Jasper County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,634 people (743 unemployed)
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#10. Fulton County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,907 people (433 unemployed)
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#9. Delaware County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 52,320 people (2,543 unemployed)
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#8. Sullivan County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,781 people (390 unemployed)
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#7. Greene County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,271 people (663 unemployed)
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#6. LaPorte County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 47,036 people (2,355 unemployed)
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#5. Vermillion County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,427 people (339 unemployed)
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#4. Starke County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,371 people (510 unemployed)
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#3. Fayette County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,330 people (462 unemployed)
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#2. Howard County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 33,185 people (1,827 unemployed)
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#1. Lake County
– February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 226,627 people (13,493 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.