New Report Highlights Who Is Unemployed in Ohio — And Why

A new statewide report provides the most detailed look yet at who is unemployed in Ohio, where they live, and the factors driving joblessness across the state. The 2024 Profile of the Unemployed, compiled using Labor Department data and the federal Current Population Survey, outlines a decade of trends and breaks down unemployment by age, race, education, industry, and county.

Unemployment Rising Slightly in 2024

Ohio recorded about 253,000 unemployed residents in 2024. While far below the pandemic peak of 911,200 in April 2020, the state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, up from 3.7% the year before. National and state trends closely mirror each other, with both experiencing sharp spikes in 2020 before steadily declining.

Long-term unemployment also improved significantly. The number of Ohioans jobless for 27 weeks or more fell to 39,000, nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Who Is Unemployed in Ohio

The report shows unemployment affects a wide mix of workers, but some groups experience it at higher rates:

• Men: 52%

• Women: 48%

• Prime-age adults 25–54: 53%

• Youth 16–24: About one-third of the unemployed population

Racial and ethnic minorities face disproportionate joblessness. Although minorities make up 18.5% of Ohio’s population, they represent 35% of unemployed residents.

Education plays a major role. Adults without a high school diploma have an 8.2% unemployment rate, more than four times the rate (2.0%) for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Industries Hit Hardest

Some industries see unemployment at much higher levels than their share of the state’s workforce:

• Leisure and hospitality: 18% of unemployed, despite being just 8% of statewide employment

• Construction: 10% of unemployed

• Transportation and utilities: 11% of unemployed

Occupations with the highest unemployment risk include transportation and material moving, construction and extraction, and service jobs.

Where Unemployment Is Highest

County-level data show wide variation across the state:

• Holmes County recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 3.2%.

• Meigs County had the highest at 6.8%.

• 29 counties were at or below the national rate of 4.0%.

Most Jobless Spells Are Short

Of the 254,000 unemployed Ohioans in 2024:

• 96,000 (38%) were unemployed less than 5 weeks.

• 82,000 (32%) were unemployed 5–14 weeks.

• 77,000 (30%) were unemployed 15 weeks or longer.

The average duration of unemployment was 16.1 weeks, with a median of 7.4 weeks.

Discouraged Workers Rising Again

Ohio saw 11,300 discouraged workers in 2024 — people who want to work but stopped looking because they believe no jobs are available. While still far below the 2015 peak of 24,400, the number has risen from recent lows.