Jackson County’s unemployment rate stood at 2.0% in October, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s latest report released Monday.

Overall, 22,867 county residents were on the job in October, which is 430 more than in October 2020 when 22,437 county residents were working. The jobless rate at that time was 4.2% because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of county residents reporting they were looking for work in October of this year was 474, compared to the 974 who were looking for work during the same month a year earlier.

The county’s labor force was 23,341 in October, which is 70 less than the same month in 2020.

The county’s unemployment rate for October was lower than the state’s rate of 2.5% and the national rate of 4.3%.

Other nearby counties and their unemployment rates for October were Bartholomew, 1.9%; Brown, 2.1%; Jennings, 2.5%; Lawrence, 2.4%; Monroe, 2.2%; Scott, 2.9%; and Washington, 2.2%.

Union and LaGrange counties had the lowest rate in the state at 1.5% in October, and Howard County had the highest at 4.2%.