The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7. Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fiss ures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the federal workforce. Federal government employment fell by 10,000 in February, pushing up total cuts to the federal workforce. In the first two months of 2025, 62,530 federal workers were let go. However, the most recent cuts, including the Department of Education's workforce getting slashed by nearly half, have not yet appeared in official jobs data. Retail employment also fell by 6,000. The broader unemployment index, known as the U-6, which also includes laborers working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and those who want to work but have given up searching, rose to 8%, its highest since October 2021. To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Ohio, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in January 2025, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Key takeaways: Jobs report shows softening labor market February's job growth of 151,000 fell below economists' expected gains of 160,000, showing the labor market is cooling faster than predicted. Experts say many companies weighing policy changes and economic uncertainty are deciding it's safer to hold off on hiring decisions for now. "If you were a company and you were saying, 'I'm looking to expand, or I'm looking to hire,' you would have investors in those companies saying, 'Are you crazy?'" Ron Hetrick, senior labor economist at Lightcast, told Marketplace. Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in two years, which may have led to layoffs or hiring slowdowns, Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist, told NBC News. The big story: From bold promises to frozen labor market After an initial market pop following Trump's electoral win, indexes have slumped to below when he took office, and uncertainty about the future of the markets is a common theme. Are threatened tariffs in place, delayed, reversed, or ramped up? Has that federal worker been fired or given their job back? Are those federal dollars slashed or reinstated? It's a question mark that changes daily. Research shows that uncertainty invites lower investment, slows employment, and increases financial market volatility. The word "uncertain" showed up 47 times in the March edition of the Beige Book, the Federal Reserve's snapshot of reports from across the nation, compared to 17 times in the previous report from January. The new administration's blitz of executive orders and trade policy waffling have cast a dense fog over the short-term economic outlook. One thing that is known? Uncertainty isn't good for business planning, job creation, or hiring. In a March 12 interview with Semafor, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that average consumers likely don't change "what they're going to do because they read about tariffs," but "companies might." "Uncertainty is not a good thing," Dimon added. To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Ohio. 47. Marion County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points- Total labor force: 26,927 people (1,469 unemployed) 47. Pickaway County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points- Total labor force: 28,631 people (1,579 unemployed) 47. Williams County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 16,853 people (927 unemployed) 47. Portage County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points- Total labor force: 85,406 people (4,718 unemployed) 44. Montgomery County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points- Total labor force: 256,779 people (14,333 unemployed) 44. Summit County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points- Total labor force: 274,306 people (15,331 unemployed) 44. Hardin County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points- Total labor force: 13,273 people (741 unemployed) 43. Stark County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 182,926 people (10,411 unemployed) 42. Ashland County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points- Total labor force: 25,650 people (1,511 unemployed) 38. Seneca County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%--- 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points- Total labor force: 26,500 people (1,595 unemployed) 38. Coshocton County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points- Total labor force: 15,024 people (894 unemployed) 38. Fayette County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%--- 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points- Total labor force: 13,307 people (793 unemployed) 38. Lawrence County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points- Total labor force: 24,180 people (1,447 unemployed) 34. Carroll County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 12,378 people (763 unemployed) 34. Harrison County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 5,939 people (371 unemployed) 34. Richland County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points- Total labor force: 53,982 people (3,320 unemployed) 34. Ross County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%--- 1-month change: +1.6 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 32,927 people (2,043 unemployed) 29. Washington County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 27,337 people (1,729 unemployed) 29. Mahoning County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points- Total labor force: 104,309 people (6,560 unemployed) 29. Crawford County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points- Total labor force: 18,936 people (1,190 unemployed) 29. Champaign County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%--- 1-month change: +2.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +2.1 percentage points- Total labor force: 19,140 people (1,213 unemployed) 29. Highland County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points- Total labor force: 19,908 people (1,250 unemployed) 27. Columbiana County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points- Total labor force: 45,603 people (2,971 unemployed) 27. Hocking County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points- Total labor force: 12,983 people (847 unemployed) 24. Muskingum County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%--- 1-month change: +1.8 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points- Total labor force: 41,320 people (2,712 unemployed) 24. Sandusky County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%--- 1-month change: +1.8 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 28,103 people (1,858 unemployed) 24. Trumbull County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 88,954 people (5,898 unemployed) 23. Fulton County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%--- 1-month change: +1.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 21,576 people (1,447 unemployed) 21. Jackson County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 14,133 people (957 unemployed) 21. Belmont County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%--- 1-month change: +1.8 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 28,212 people (1,931 unemployed) 18. Jefferson County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points- Total labor force: 28,214 people (1,947 unemployed) 18. Brown County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points- Total labor force: 20,573 people (1,420 unemployed) 18. Gallia County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points- Total labor force: 12,770 people (877 unemployed) 16. Athens County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points- Total labor force: 26,287 people (1,849 unemployed) 16. Erie County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%--- 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 36,924 people (2,581 unemployed) 15. Clark County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%--- 1-month change: +2.6 percentage points--- 1-year change: +2.5 percentage points- Total labor force: 62,334 people (4,451 unemployed) 14. Lucas County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 207,788 people (15,012 unemployed) 13. Perry County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 16,176 people (1,173 unemployed) 12. Vinton County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points- Total labor force: 5,681 people (425 unemployed) 11. Pike County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points- Total labor force: 11,612 people (891 unemployed) 10. Scioto County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points- Total labor force: 29,801 people (2,328 unemployed) 9. Guernsey County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8%--- 1-month change: +2.5 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points- Total labor force: 16,721 people (1,344 unemployed) 8. Huron County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%--- 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points- Total labor force: 28,592 people (2,344 unemployed) 7. Henry County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.5%--- 1-month change: +2.9 percentage points--- 1-year change: +2.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 13,849 people (1,175 unemployed) 6. Morgan County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.8%--- 1-month change: +2.6 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points- Total labor force: 6,520 people (575 unemployed) 4. Adams County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%--- 1-month change: +2.4 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points- Total labor force: 11,633 people (1,053 unemployed) 4. Monroe County (tie) - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 5,511 people (504 unemployed) 3. Noble County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.3%--- 1-month change: +2.6 percentage points--- 1-year change: +2.0 percentage points- Total labor force: 4,416 people (411 unemployed) 2. Ottawa County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.5%--- 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points- Total labor force: 20,175 people (1,908 unemployed) 1. Meigs County - January unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.1%--- 1-month change: +3.2 percentage points--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points- Total labor force: 8,224 people (831 unemployed) This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states. ...read more read less