Elkhart led U.S. counties in employment increase

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Elkhart County in northern Indiana had the largest percentage increase in employment from March 2010 to March 2011 among the nation's largest 322 counties.

The bureau reports that Elkhart County saw its employment increase 6.2 percent during that time span. The national increase in employment during that time was 1.3 percent, while Indiana saw its employment increase 1.9 percent. The next largest increase in employment among counties was in Michigan's Ottawa County at 4.7 percent.

The largest increase in jobs in Elkhart County occurred in manufacturing, which gained 5,125 jobs, or a 12.4 percent increase. The report is a stark change from 2009 when Elkhart County had the state's highest unemployment rate for months, spiking to 18.9 percent of March of that year.