Champaign County’s unemployment rate increased in January, according to information released this week by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The county’s jobless rate increased to 4.5 percent in January, up from 4.1 percent in December 2018. While the number of employed people increased by 100 to 18,900 in January, the number of unemployed people also rose by 100 to 900.

Champaign County’s unemployment rate in January 2018 was 4.1 percent, with 18,600 employed people and 800 unemployed people.

Champaign County was one of 15 counties in the state with an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent or lower.

Mercer County had the lowest rate in Ohio at 3.2 percent, while Monroe County had the highest at 12.1 percent.

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in January, up from a revised 4.6 percent in December 2018. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 20,300 over the month, from a revised 5,583,300 in December 2018 to 5,603,600 in January.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 269,000, up 2,000 from 267,000 in December 2018. The number of unemployed has increased by 11,000 in the past 12 months from 258,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio increased from 4.5 percent in January 2018.

The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 4.0 percent, an increase from 3.9 percent in December, and a decrease from 4.1 percent in January 2018.