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Marion County’s unemployment rate spiked again in January, according to data released Wednesday by Iowa Workforce Development. After holding right at the statewide average of 6.5 percent for the month of December, the county’s jobless rate jumped to 7.7 percent to start the new year.

The report states that just over 1300 of Marion County’s nearly 17,000-member workforce was without work during the month of January. That was an increase of nearly 200 unemployed workers in the county from December’s numbers. Statewide, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.6 percent for the same time period, while the national unemployment percentage improved to 9.7 percent in January.