New England’s unemployment rate was 7 percent in February, essentially unchanged from January but down from 7.2 percent in February 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
That rate remains below the national rate of 7.7 percent.
Massachusetts, with 6.5 percent unemployment, is among a group of 22 states across the country with significantly different rates than the national rate, the BLS said. Vermont and Rhode Island recorded unemployment declines of 0.3 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, over the month. At 9.4 percent unemployment, Rhode Island was one of 11 states with higher-than-average rates across the country.
