Unemployment rates for most of the region remained at or below the national and state levels for last month. According to data released by Iowa Workforce Development, Carroll County recorded the lowest rate in the area at 2.2 percent, followed closely by Audubon County at 2.3 percent and Greene County at 2.4 percent. Sac and Calhoun Counties each reported unemployment at 2.7 percent with Guthrie County coming in at 3.1 percent. Crawford County reported the highest rate in the region at 5.0 percent. Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in December from 3.7 percent in November. State officials report the number of unemployed Iowans dropped 3,800 to 57,900 in December with a 66.9-percent labor force participation rate. The U.S. unemployment rate came in at 3.9 percent last month.
