By Wayne Gates –

The unemployment rate in Ohio rose in every county between December of last year and January of 2017.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the jobless rate in Brown County rose 1.8 percent to 7.3 percent in January.
Of the surrounding counties, Adams County saw the biggest spike, with the unemployment rate rising from 7.3 percent in December to 10.4 percent in January.
Clinton and Highland counties both saw a jump of 1.5 percent, with Clinton County coming in at 6.9 percent and Highland county coming in at 7.9 percent in January.
Clermont County saw the smallest increase and had the lowest unemployment rate in the region, with a January increase of 1.1 percent to 5.3 percent.
The Cincinnati metro region and the state as a whole also saw an increase in the unemployment rate.
The Cincinnati Metropoli-tan Statistical Area, which includes Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont and Brown counties, saw an increase from 4.1 percent in December to 5.0 percent in January.  In the state as a whole, the jobless rate jumped from 4.8 percent in December to 6.0 percent in January.
Much of the increase in the unemployment rate can be traced to jobs that are traditionally dormant in the Winter, such as road construction.  The unemployment rate typically begins to fall with the return of warmer weather.
Monroe County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 12.8 percent, followed by Meigs County at 10.9 percent and Noble County at 10.6 percent.
Adams County rose to the fourth highest unemployment rate in the state at 10.4 percent, followed by Morgan County at 10.2 percent.
The lowest jobless rate in the state was in Mercer County at 3.9 percent.
Brown County remained in the middle of Ohio unemployment rates, coming in at number 33 with 7.2 percent.