Butler County ranks No. 1
in job loss for entire region

HAMILTON, Ohio — Butler County has lost nearly 1,300 jobs in the first six months of this year and about 3,500 jobs since 2009, according to county and state data.

No county in the region — including Montgomery, Preble and Warren — has suffered more mass layoffs since July 2010 than Butler County, according to Workforce One of Butler County.

And so far this year, new job creation has failed to keep pace.

The result is a county with an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent — a number that could increase once previously announced layoffs take place.

The job losses could also further impact the county's budget, which has been battered by declining revenues and cuts in state funding.