Economy

📍 Mahoning Valley jobless rates fall in September, state data show

Youngstown, Ohio • October 25, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: workers walking to jobs on a downtown Youngstown street in the morning

Illustration: Press Pass USA

Unemployment fell across the Mahoning Valley in September, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported, with Mahoning County at 4.7%, Trumbull County at 4.8% and Columbiana County at 3.7% — all down from August.

Mahoning County's rate fell from 5.0% in August to 4.7% in September, though it remained slightly above September 2025's 4.6%, according to the Business Journal Daily's October 21 report on the state figures. Trumbull County fell from 5.2% to 4.8%, down from 5.0% a year earlier, and Columbiana County fell from 3.8% to 3.7%, down from 4.4% a year earlier.

In the Valley's two largest cities, Youngstown's unemployment rate dropped from 6.9% in August to 6.2% in September — still above the 5.9% recorded in September 2025. Warren's rate fell from 7.3% to 6.6%, matching its September 2025 level.

The county figures are not seasonally adjusted local rates published by the state each month, and they can move with seasonal hiring as well as broader hiring trends — a single month's drop does not by itself establish a lasting trend.

Statewide, Ohio's September jobs report, released earlier in October, showed the state losing 5,000 jobs with unemployment at 3.4%, as previously reported by Press Pass USA.

Sources: Business Journal Daily (Oct 21, 2026); Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, September 2026 local unemployment release.