BLS: Warwick jobless rate lowest in Feb. among select cities

WARWICK AGAIN had the lowest unemployment rate among select cities in Rhode Island at 6.1 percent in February, according to data released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
WARWICK AGAIN had the lowest unemployment rate among select cities in Rhode Island at 6.1 percent in February, according to data released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. / COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

PROVIDENCE – Warwick again had the lowest unemployment rate among select cities in Rhode Island at 6.1 percent in February, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
All cities included in the economic summary for the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area experienced drops in their jobless rates year over year.
Warwick’s jobless rate declined 1.9 percentage points year over year, as did Cranston’s, which, at 6.6 percent, had the next lowest rate in the region. The Providence jobless rate was 7.9 percent, a decline of 2.6 percentage points.
Fall River, which had the highest unemployment rate among the select cities at 10.8 percent, also experienced the greatest decline at 3.1 percentage points.
All of the cities had rates above the national unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. That rate also declined year over year by 1.2 percentage points.
The report also showed that the average hourly wage was $23.37 in the Providence area in February, 66 cents higher than the national average hourly wage of $22.71.
Among selected occupations highlighted, accountants and auditors make the most in the Providence area at $37.07 an hour, again higher than the national average of $35.41. Registered nurses make $36.37 an hour, $2.82 higher than the national average. Cooks and fast food workers make $9.62 an hour, 47 cents higher than the national average.
Employer costs per hour also are higher in New England than the national average. Total compensation per hour costs $37.12, compared with the national average of $31.32.
Wages and salaries in New England cost an average of $22.99, $4.27 higher than the national average, while benefits average $11.12, $1.52 higher.

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