While our local unemployment rates may have increased slightly in December, two of our three counties are still below the state average.

According to Iowa Workforce Development, Dallas County’s unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percent to 2.4 percent last month.  Greene County saw a three-tenths of a percent increase between November and December and Guthrie County saw the largest change, up seven-tenths of a percent, to 3.5 percent last month.

Compared to the same month in 2014, all three counties had a lower unemployment rate at the end of last year.  Dallas and Guthrie Counties were down 0.7 percent and Greene was down 0.9 percent.

The statewide unemployment rate for December was 3.4 percent.