Unemployment rates continue to drop in Northwest Indiana. Lake County had a March unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, down from five percent the month before and 7.5 percent in March of last year but still the highest in Indiana. Porter County's rate dropped from 3.2 percent in February to three percent last month.
At the same time, the region's labor force is growing. Lake County added 1,500 workers over the past year, while Porter County added almost 1,400. But that growth hasn't been even. The major population centers of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Merrillville all lost workers.
East Chicago currently has the region's highest unemployment rate at 6.5 percent, followed closely by Gary at 6.4. Valparaiso's is lowest locally at 2.7 percent.