COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County tied with Allegan County for the second-lowest unemployment rate in Michigan for August, reaching a low of 3.9 percent.
That is down down from a 4.2 percent jobless rate recorded in July and the lowest level since December of 2025.
The two counties trailed only Grand Traverse County and Mackinac County, which led the state with a shared low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent.
The positive local numbers came despite a slight upward tick across the rest of southern Michigan as the Michigan average for August rose a tenth of a percentage point to 5.0 percent. Branch County also comfortably outperformed surrounding counties in the rankings.
Around the area, Hillsdale County posted an August unemployment rate of 4.7 percent, St. Joseph County sat at 5.0 percent, and Calhoun County recorded the highest nearby rate at 5.3 percent.
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