RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The city of Martinsville's jobless rate remained the highest in Virginia in December.
The Virginia Employment Commission says the city's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 15.2 percent, down from 15.5 percent in December and 17.3 percent a year ago. The statewide rate for December was 5.4 percent.
Nationally, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for December was 7.6 percent. Rates dropped from last year in 290 metropolitan areas, increased in 68 and were flat in 14.
Arlington County had Virginia's lowest jobless rate with 3.3 percent in December, followed by 3.7 percent in Fairfax County
The Danville region had the highest unemployment rate among Virginia's metropolitan regions at 7.6 percent. The Washington metropolitan region that includes Arlington and Alexandria had the lowest jobless rate of 4.1 percent.
