Jobless Rate Dips in Both Marin, Novato

Marin County's unemployment rate was the lowest in the state in February, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

Marin's unemployment rate came in at 5.4 percent, well below the average for all of California (9.7 percent) and the national average of 8.1 percent. In Novato, the jobless rate for February was 6.4 percentdown from 6.9 percent in January.

Between January 2013 and February 2013, the combined employment in the counties of Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo grew by 4,100 jobs to reach 1,011,300 jobs, according to the EDD, which groups those three counties to form a metropolitan division called "West Bay" in its data.

There were 600 new jobs in arts, entertainment and recreation in the region, and 200 new positions in food service and at bars. The area also added 600 construction jobs and 500 positions in "information."

There was no city-by-city breakdown available of where new employment opportunities were created but unemployment was low in most Marin towns.

Corte Madera reported the best unemployment rate of any town in the county, at 3.8 percent. The worst was Fairfax, at 9.1 percent.

Check out the PDF above for more details about local job trends.

Statewide, California’s unemployment rate decreased to 9.6 percent in February. That's down 0.2 percent from January. The year-over-year change (February 2012 to February 2013) shows an increase of 293,800 jobs, or up 2.1 percent.

The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

How is the job market in Marin County? Were you looking for work in February? Did you find a job? Tell us in the comment section below.

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