PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent in February, a percentage point less than it was in February 2015, placing it among 22 states that had significantly different unemployment rates over the year, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
Rhode Island also was among 37 states and the District of Columbia that had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier; 10 states had increases, and three states had no change.
Rhode Island’s rate is still higher than the national jobless rate, which was 4.9 percent in February, a 0.6 percentage point lower than in February 2015, the BLS said.
Over the year, 38 states had statistically significant changes in employment, 35 of which were positive. The largest significant over-the-year job increase occurred in California, with 451,600 more jobs, while the largest decrease was in North Dakota, at 22,700.
Rhode Island was among the 35 states on the positive side for employment, gaining 7,400 more jobs over the year, to 488,200 from 480,800.
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Rhode Island also saw its civilian labor force fall to 552,100 in February from 555,100 a year earlier, while the number of unemployed dropped to 29,700 from 35,600 over the same time period.
