AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The state’s unemployment rate in January was Maine’s lowest since 2001.
Preliminary Maine Department of Labor figures show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5 percent in January. That’s lower than the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, and down from Maine’s 3.8 percent unemployment rate in January 2016.
Nationwide, unemployment rates were significantly lower in January in five states, with the largest decrease in Maine. New Hampshire’s unemployment rate was the nation’s lowest at 2.7 percent, while Bangor’s unemployment rate was 3.9 percent.
Maine’s unemployment rate reached 8.3 percent in mid-2009. The state says in January the number of unemployed reached about 24,300, down 1,300 over the last year.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decline in manufacturing employees and growth in education and health services.
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