News Summary
Unemployment rates across Northeast Ohio have improved significantly, with Lake County, Geauga County, and Cuyahoga County all reporting drops in their rates for August. Lake County’s rate fell to 3.5%, Geauga County to 3.2%, and Cuyahoga County to 4.0%. Mentor’s rate also dropped to 3.3%. Despite these improvements, Ohio still lags behind the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Overall, the state’s labor market shows signs of recovery, although consumer confidence appears to be declining amidst concerns about economic growth.
Mentor, Ohio – Unemployment rates across Northeast Ohio saw significant improvements in August 2025, reflecting a positive trend in the region’s job market. The state overall also reported a decline in unemployment, but still lagged behind the national average.
Lake County’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% in August, a notable decrease from 4.7% in July. While this August rate is slightly above the 3.4% recorded a year prior, it signifies a substantial decrease in the number of jobless individuals. Lake County boasts a labor force of approximately 129,000 people, with around 4,500 residents currently unemployed.
Likewise, Geauga County also reported a significant drop in its unemployment rate, reducing it to 3.2% in August from 4.4% in July. This current rate is an improvement compared to the 3.4% jobless rate from August 2024. The county’s labor force accounts for about 50,800 individuals, with 1,600 unemployed.
Cuyahoga County’s unemployment rate showed similar improvements, decreasing to 4.0% in August, down from 5.4% in July. This marks an encouraging recovery as the current rate is near the 3.9% recorded in August of the previous year. In Cuyahoga County, approximately 616,100 people are employed, resulting in 25,700 unemployed individuals from a total labor force of 641,800.
In the city of Mentor, the unemployment rate fell to 3.3% in August, a reduction of 1.2 percentage points from the previous month. Mentor’s current rate matches that of August 2024. The city’s civilian labor force, however, decreased by about 500 to 26,400 people. This trend mirrors improvements seen across the region.
On a broader scale, Ohio’s overall unemployment rate dropped to 4.9% in August from 5.5% in July. However, this figure is still slightly higher than the 4.3% reported in August 2024, suggesting challenges remain in achieving a robust job market. Notably, Lakewood claimed the lowest unemployment rate among Ohio cities with populations over 50,000, at 3.1%, with Mentor, Parma, and Cleveland Heights following behind at 3.3%, 3.7%, and 4.0% respectively.
Despite these local improvements, Ohio continues to trail the national unemployment rate of 4.3% for August, indicating ongoing issues in the state’s labor market. The national data also highlights that Ohio added 9,900 nonfarm jobs in August, reflecting a 0.17% increase, while the state’s labor force participation rate dipped slightly to 62.5% from 62.6%. Conversely, the national labor force participation rate improved, rising to 62.3% from 62.2%.
Consumer confidence, however, appears to be waning, with an 8% decline in personal finance perceptions reported by the University of Michigan. Concerns regarding economic growth and inflation are contributing factors to this downturn in sentiment.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released these statistics, shedding light on the regional job market trends amidst an evolving economic landscape.
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Additional Resources
- Cleveland.com: Lake & Geauga Counties See Unemployment Rates Plunge
- Wikipedia: Unemployment in the United States
- Crain’s Cleveland: Ohio Unemployment Remains Higher than National Average
- Google Search: Ohio Unemployment
- Cleveland.com: Ohio Unemployment Rate Rises
- Google Scholar: Ohio Unemployment Rate
- Axios: Ohio Unemployment at Four Year High
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Unemployment
Author: STAFF HERE CLEVELAND WRITER
CLEVELAND STAFF WRITER The CLEVELAND STAFF WRITER represents the seasoned team at HERECleveland.com, your premier source for actionable local news and information in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and beyond, delivering "news you can use" with in-depth coverage of product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news impacting the region—backed by years of expert reporting and robust community input, including local press releases and business updates, while providing top reporting on high-profile events like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, Cleveland International Film Festival, and holiday parades, alongside key organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Great Lakes Science Center, plus leading businesses in manufacturing and healthcare like Sherwin-Williams and University Hospitals, and as part of the broader HERE network including HEREDayton.com, offering comprehensive, credible insights into Ohio's vibrant landscape. HERE Cleveland HERE Dayton
