Jackson County’s unemployment rate stood at 3.7% in May, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s latest report released Thursday.

Overall, 22,393 county residents were on the job in May, which is 4,241 more than in May 2020 when 18,152 county residents were working. The jobless rate at that time was 17.5% because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of county residents reporting they were looking for work in May of this year was 867, compared to the 3,863 who were looking for work during the same month a year earlier.

The county’s labor force was 23,266 in May, which is 1,245 more than the same month in 2020.

The county’s unemployment rate for May was lower than the state’s rate of 4.5% and the national rate of 5.5%.

Other nearby counties and their unemployment rates for May were Bartholomew, 3.6%; Brown, 4.2%; Jennings, 4.4%; Lawrence, 4.1%; Monroe, 3.8%; Scott, 4.9%; and Washington, 3.8%.

Adams County had the lowest rate in the state at 2.5%, and Lake County had the highest at 8.3%.