Clinton County’s unemployment rate improved to 7.9 percent in September, according to monthly data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The jobless rate in Clinton County had been 8.7 percent in August — which was the same as it was here in July.

The state agency reported there were about 1,400 unemployed people in Clinton County in September. On the positive side, the agency stated there were about 16,300 Clinton Countians employed in September.

Clinton County’s September jobless rate of 7.9 percent aligns with the state of Ohio’s 8.0 percent rate in September (for consistency, neither rate is seasonably adjusted).

Statewide

Ohioans filed 17,531 initial jobless claims last week, the state reported Thursday. This was 256,684 fewer than — or about 6 percent of — the peak earlier this year.

The total number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last 32 weeks (1,807,545) was more than the combined total of those filed during the last four years.

Ohioans filed 266,208 continued jobless claims last week, which was 510,094 fewer than — or less than half (about 34 percent) of — the peak earlier this year.

Over the last 32 weeks, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has distributed more than $7.1 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 830,000 Ohioans.

Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, more than 95 percent have been processed, with less than 5 percent pending.