Delaware County’s Unemployment Rate Down Slightly

Delaware County’s unemployment rate was down slightly in December.

The latest numbers released this week by Iowa Workforce Development show Delaware County’s unemployment at two-point-seven percent last month – lower than the two-point-nine percent in November.

Delaware County also remains to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in northeast Iowa.

Dubuque and Linn counties were down slightly to three-point-two, with Buchanan County staying steady at three percent. Fayette County rose slightly to three-point-one percent, Jones County’s rate was up to three-point-six percent and Clayton County jumped to three-point-nine percent last month.

Iowa’s December unemployment rate moved up one tenth of a percent to three-point-two percent. Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says that comes as more people were looking for jobs.

Townsend says some of the job gains were offset by losses.

She says overall the positive news outweighed the negative.

Townsend says there’s always a stop in February, so the next unemployment numbers won’t come out until March.

The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to four-point-one percent in December.

audio courtesy of Radio Iowa; images courtesy of Iowa Workforce Development