The unemployment rate in Warren County went up to end 2022.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I), the seasonally-adjusted rate was 4.8 percent for December.

Without the seasonal adjustment, the rate was 4.5 percent.

The adjusted rate for November was 4.2 percent, which was a slight increase over the October rate of 4.1.

According to L&I, about the same number people were employed in the county in December and November, but there were also more people in the labor force. The department’s breakdown of employment by sector is identical for the two months.

Warren County fared poorly compared to some regional neighbors. The county has typically been one of the lowest in the region. In December, both Meadville (at 4.4 percent) and Erie (4.6 percent) had lower unemployment, while Oil City had the same rate. Bradford (5.0 percent) and Forest County (5.7 percent) were higher.

The last time Warren County’s rate was 4.8 percent or higher was in April. According to L&I, the county rate was 5.2 percent for December 2021.

According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor, seasonal adjustment “is a statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment changes from month-to-month.”

“These seasonal adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical, underlying trend and other nonseasonal movements in the series,” making it possible to make month-to-month comparisons.