AUGUSTA — Officials say Maine’s unemployment rate ticked down to 5 percent last month.

The Maine Department of Labor said Friday that the state’s jobless rate declined slightly from 5.2 percent in January and 5.9 percent a year ago. The number of residents who were unemployed was down by more than 7,000 over the year to 34,400 last month.

The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in February, down from 5.7 percent in January.

Maine’s unemployment rate last month was higher than those in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. But Maine’s was lower than Connecticut and Rhode Island, with those two states reporting rates of more than 6 percent.

Copy the Story Link