County unemployment numbers decrease

December’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by two-tenths of a percent from November.

Figures from the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.4 percent in November to 4.2 percent in December. The county’s December rate from a year earlier was 5.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Cass County experienced an increase in its unemployment figures from November to December. Its November rate was 4.4 percent and rose to 4.6 percent a month later.

Branch County saw its rate stay the same over the one-month period. It was 4 percent in November and unchanged in December.

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 5 percent, equal to November and down from 5.2 percent in December 2024.