GALLIPOLIS - While Ohio's unemployment rate posted a decrease in June, area joblessness saw an increase over the previous month.

The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services reported that Gallia County's jobless rate in June was 6.5 percent, a four-tenths of a percent rise over May's 6.1 percent.

Meigs County also saw a four-tenths of a percent increase as June's rate was 7.6 percent. May's rate for Meigs was 7.2.

The upward trend was reflected in most surrounding counties, ODJFS found. Athens was at 5 percent in June, two-tenths of a percent higher than May's 4.8; Jackson rose one-tenth of a percent from 7.4 in May to 7.5 in June; and Lawrence was 5.4 percent, a six-tenths of a percent increase over May's 4.8 percent.

The only decrease was seen in Vinton County, which dropped to 7 percent in June, one-tenth of a percent less than May.

The state's unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in June, down from 5.3 percent in May.

The national unemployment rate for June was 4.6 percent, unchanged from May.

“Labor market data for June were mixed,” ODJFS Director Barbara Riley said Tuesday. “Although Ohio's unemployment rate declined in June, overall employment declined as well.”

Monroe County had the highest rate of unemployment in June at 9.8 percent, while Delaware County had the lowest rate at 3.3 percent.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in June was 302,000, down from 312,000 in May. The number of unemployed has decreased by 50,000 over the year from 352,000. The June unemployment rate for Ohio was down from 6 percent in June 2005.

County and city rates are unadjusted, meaning they do not take into account seasonal adjustments in employment.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)