R.I. Aug. unemployment rate still 3rd-highest in U.S.

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s unemployment rate remained the highest in New England in August, rising to a seasonally adjusted 9.1 percent from 8.9 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Rhode Island joins 11 states and the District of Columbia with a jobless rate measurably higher than the national rate of 7.3 percent.

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Nationally, only Nevada (9.5 percent) and Illinois (9.2 percent) posted unemployment rates higher than Rhode Island’s. These same three states topped the national unemployment rankings in July.

In New England, Vermont boasted the region’s lowest unemployment rate at 4.6 percent, followed by New Hampshire with 5 percent, Maine with 7 percent, Massachusetts with 7.2 percent and Connecticut with 8.1 percent.

The national unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.3 percent in August from 7.4 percent in July. A year ago, the U.S. unemployment rate was 8.1 percent.

In July 2012, Rhode Island’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached 10.4 percent, making the state’s year-over-year drop of 1.3 percentage points the most significant unemployment rate change among New England states.

Of the nine census divisions in the nation, New England ranked fourth for its jobless rate of 7.3 percent, behind the West North Central (5.5 percent), West South Central (6.4 percent) and Mountain (7.1 percent). The highest unemployment rate by division was 8.4 percent, recorded in the Pacific region.