3/7/17 – 10:28 A.M.

Regional unemployment rates jumped in the first month of 2017. New figures from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show the jobless rate in Hancock County was 4.4 percent in January. That’s compared to 3.6 percent in December and 4.3 percent in January of 2016.

The unemployment rate typically goes up in January following the end of seasonal jobs in December.

Putnam and Wyandot Counties stayed under 5 percent unemployment in January. Both counties saw higher jobless numbers compared to January of 2016.

Elsewhere in the area, unemployment stood at 5 percent in Wood County, 6.1 percent in Seneca and Hardin counties, and at 6.2 percent in Allen County. Henry County’s unemployment rate in January was 7.2 percent, up more than 1.5 percent from January.