LISBON - After dropping for two consecutive months, Columbiana County's unemployment rate rose slightly in October to 12.7 percent.

This was a 0.2 percent increase over the county's September unemployment rate of 12.5 percent but still below the 14.7 percent peak reached in July, the highest mark since April 1982, when the jobless rate hit 15 percent. The state and national unemployment rates also increased in October.

Not surprisingly, the number of county residents the Ohio Department of Job and Family Service's says are unemployed increased by 200, to 6,900. The number of new filings for unemployment benefits totaled 701 over the four weeks between unemployment reports, an increase over the 648 new claims filed during the previous period.

Meanwhile, the average number of people receiving unemployment benefits dropped to 1,518 per week over the four-week period between unemployment reports, down from the 1,734 weekly average during the previous period.

Earlier this month, Congress extended unemployment benefits by another 20 weeks in states with high unemployment rates, such as Ohio. The extra 20 weeks pushes the maximum possible time period an Ohioan can receive unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, or 23 months, the most in history, according to the Associated Press. Unemployment checks generally are about $300 a week, or $15,600 per year.

The following are the unemployment rates for the four adjoining Ohio counties: Jefferson County, 13.7 percent; Carroll County, 12.8 percent; Mahoning County, 12 percent; and Stark County, 11.3 percent.

Columbiana County's unemployment rate remains the 17th highest among Ohio's 88 counties. Highland County in southern Ohio continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 15.9 percent, while Geauga County southeast of Cleveland had the lowest at 6.7 percent.