Lake County once again has Indiana's highest unemployment rate. Lake County's December unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
But some specific areas were higher. Hobart and Merrillville had unemployment rates of 4.8 percent, while Gary's was 7.2 percent.
Most of the region has a higher unemployment rate than the state as a whole, with Northwest Indiana counties making up half of the top 12.
Lake and Porter counties' rates are both up from the prior December — even though thousands more residents are working — since more people have entered the labor force. Their rates declined slightly, month-over-month.
