It bears notice that the unemployment rate in Ohio, last I saw it, was really not that bad, as borne out by the July numbers. The unemployment is so localized that the disgruntled are not widespread...if they're disgruntled at all. I mean -- 94.3% of the state is employed with only a 5.7% unemployment rate. That's one of the best numbers in decades, so there simply isn't any gas in Democrat argument.
Ohio Unemployment Rate Stable In July (http://www.wcpo.com/news/2002/local/08/16/ohiounemp.html)
Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Liz Foreman Photographed by: 9News 8/16/02 1:04:00 PM
Ohio's July unemployment rate remained unchanged from the revised June rate of 5.7%. The national rate for July also stayed the same, at 5.9%.
Ohio Job and Family Services Director Tom Hayes says the labor market was steady. He says there were slight gains in the retail trade and service sectors but describes overall hiring as cautious.
Morgan County has the highest unemployment rate in the state, at 13.3%. Holmes County has the lowest at 3.1%.
The state says unemployment rates decreased in about 3/5 of Ohio's 88 counties. Ten counties still had rates higher than 8.5 percent.
The May numbers by county and city show that the rates are high in some of the rural counties (especially appalachia -- low population, in general) and in bigger inner cities (read chronic unemployed)
COUNTY RATE - MAY 2004 Adams 10.3 Allen 5.7 Ashland 6.2 Ashtabula 6.9 Athens 4.0 Auglaize 4.1 Belmont 4.7 Brown 6.2 Butler 3.9 Carroll 6.5 Champaign 5.5 Clark 6.3 Clermont 4.4 Clinton 4.4 Columbiana 6.6 Coshocton 8.8 Crawford 8.0 Cuyahoga 6.2 Darke 5.3 Defiance 5.9 Delaware 3.0 Erie 5.2 Fairfield 4.9 Fayette 4.7 Franklin 4.5 Fulton 4.7 Gallia 6.5 Geauga 4.0 Greene 4.4 Guernsey 6.7 Hamilton 4.7 Hancock 4.0 Hardin 4.5 Harrison 5.9 Henry 5.8 Highland 5.3 Hocking 7.6 Holmes 2.9 Huron 7.0 Jackson 7.9 Jefferson 7.4 Knox 4.3 Lake 5.2 Lawrence 5.8 Licking 4.9 Logan 4.0 Lorain 5.8 Lucas 7.4 Madison 4.6 Mahoning 6.9 Marion 5.6 Medina 4.6 Meigs 13.5 Mercer 4.2 Miami 4.6 Monroe 9.9 Montgomery 5.6 Morgan 13.8 Morrow 5.3 Muskingum 6.4 Noble 7.2 Ottawa 5.9 Paulding 4.8 Perry 8.8 Pickaway 5.0 Pike 9.3 Portage 4.6 Preble 4.8 Putnam 5.7 Richland 6.6 Ross 6.0 Sandusky 6.1 Scioto 8.4 Seneca 6.1 Shelby 3.9 Stark 5.8 Summit 5.0 Trumbull 5.9 Tuscarawas 5.0 Union 3.8 Van Wert 4.1 Vinton 10.7 Warren 3.7 Washington 5.7 Wayne 4.3 Williams 5.6 Wood 4.7 Wyandot 3.8 CITY RATE - MAY 2004 Hamilton 5.9 Springfield 7.9 Cleveland 11.7 Cleveland Hts. 3.9 Euclid 4.8 Lakewood 4.0 Parma 2.9 Columbus 5.3 Cincinnati 6.8 Mentor 4.4 Elyria 6.3 Lorain 8.5 Toledo 8.6 Youngstown 12.1 Dayton 9.6 Kettering 2.8 Mansfield 8.3 Canton 9.2 Akron 6.9 Cuyahoga Falls 3.4
Look at that....... Youngstown is 12.1 and their DEMOCRAT mayor has endorsed BUSH!