COLUMBUS – Ohio’s unemployment rate rose to 5% in July, marking an increase from June’s 4.9% and a significant jump from 4.3% in July 2024.

The numbers reveal a paradoxical situation for Ohio workers: While the state added 5,400 jobs last month, unemployment continued to rise. About 296,000 Ohioans were unemployed in July, up from 293,000 the month before and 255,000 a year ago.

That puts Ohio’s jobless rate above the national average of 4.2%, which was up from 4.1% in June but unchanged from July 2024.

Ohio’s unemployment last eclipsed 5% in July 2021, registering a jobless rate of 5.2% for that month, according to data from the U.S. Federal Reserve .

At that time, though, the rate was falling after a pandemic spike to 16.5% in April 2020. It bottomed out at 3.4% in June 2023 and ha

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