Martinsville Keeps Top Jobless Rate in February

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The city of Martinsville’s jobless rate remained the highest in Virginia in February.

The Virginia Employment Commission says the city’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 15.4 percent, down from 16.7 percent in January and 16.2 percent a year ago. The statewide rate for February was 5.7 percent.

Nationally, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for February was 8.1 percent. Rates dropped from last year in 287 metropolitan areas, increased in 69 and were flat in 16.

Arlington County had Virginia’s lowest jobless rate with 3.6 percent in February, followed by 4.1 percent in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

The Danville region had the highest unemployment rate among Virginia’s metropolitan regions at 7.9 percent. The Washington metropolitan region that includes Arlington and Alexandria had the lowest jobless rate of 4.4 percent.