Work in progressPolicy Matters’ annual State of Working Ohio report finds that federal spending helped Ohio recover jobs more rapidly than after previous recessions, and that the state now has more jobs than ever before, breaking a record that has existed for nearly a quarter century. In March 2024, Ohio posted the largest job total in the state’s history, restoring the jobs lost to the 2001 dot com recession. In July 2023, Ohio’s unemployment rate hit an historic low: 3.3%. Wages grew, but for too many it wasn’t enoughOhio’s median wage in 2023 was $23.95, an increase of $1.55 (7%) over 2022. This represents the largest annual increase in the median wage since the data set began in 1979.