The unemployment rate for Mentor increased 0.8 percent to 7.6 percent in January and increased 0.9 percent in Lake County to 9.1 percent. The unemployment rate in Mentor increased 1.1 percent in the months of December and January.

Mentor has the second-lowest unemployment rate for any community in Ohio over 50,000 in population, behind Cleveland Heights. The unemployment rate in Ohio increased to 10.1 percent for the comparable period, a 0.9 percent increase.

-- Betsy Scott, BScott@News-Herald.com