The local economy of Ohio and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
3.3%
August 2026, 4.4% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,417
Q1 2026, 5,458,346 jobs
New homes permitted
32,282
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
-6,913
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Ohio, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Ohio is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Ohio was 3.3% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.4% a year earlier. 5,662,115 people were employed out of a labor force of 5,857,405. Among its counties, Geauga County had the lowest rate (1.5%) and Trumbull County the highest (5.1%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Ohio was $1,417 in Q1 2026, up 4.0% from a year earlier, across 5,458,346 jobs at 344,589 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,476 new homes in Ohio in August 2026 (1,495 single-family and 840 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 21,484, down 5.8% from the same months last year, and 32,282 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Franklin County (8,845), Delaware County (2,078), Clermont County (2,018) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 157,796 people moved to Ohio and 164,709 moved away, a net loss of 6,913 (-0.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and most people who left went to Florida, Kentucky, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Ohio averaged $4.26 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.