Local Jobless Rate Rose In December

The state says the unemployment rate in all 88 counties rose in January due to the end of holiday seasonal jobs and a winter slowdown in construction. The Ohio Department of Job and Family services says the rate for the Columbus area was 4.8 percent, up nearly a full percentage point from December. Delaware County had the lowest jobless rate in the state at 4 percent. The statewide jobless rate is currently 4.9 percent, up a tenth of a point from December.