WRIC Richmond News and Weather - Virginia Unemployment Remains Below Nat'l Average

Virginia Unemployment Remains Below Nat'l Average

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's unemployment rate fell slightly in February and remains below the national average.

The Virginia Employment Commission said Friday that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February was 6.4 percent.

That's slightly lower than January and lower than the rate of 7.2 percent last February.

The state's unemployment rate has been trending down since the rate of 7.3 percent last March.

The agency said 65,135 Virginians were receiving regular unemployment benefits in February, up about 12,120 from January and down more than 23,700 from February 2010.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 8.9 percent in February. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate dropped in 27 states in February. It rose in seven states and stayed the same in 16.

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