Number of jobless and unemployment rate rise in Lee post-Ian

State data shows the number of unemployed in the county jumped by about 5,000 in the month following Hurricane Ian.

By Louis Llovio
| 8:47 a.m. November 21, 2022
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

The number of people unemployed in Lee County jumped by nearly 5,000 in the month following Hurricane Ian, raising the county’s unemployment rate by more than a full point.

According to a report from Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity, 14,624 people were unemployed in the county in October compared to 9,673 in September. The unemployment rate rose from 2.6% to 3.9%.