Unemployment in Everett and its surrounding cities in March dropped to the lowest point in a year, following a statewide trend where 20 regions in the state saw unemployment drop and only two regions saw it rise, according to statistics released on Tuesday by the state.
Everett’s unemployment number for March was the lowest in the immediate area and settled at 6.4 percent and the city’s labor force grew by only 70 people. It was the lowest unemployment figure the city has had over the past 13 months and it was also below the state unemployment rate of 6.6 percent.
The March number decreased from 6.7 percent in February and 7 percent in January. Last summer, Everett’s number grew as high as 8 percent.
For March, there were 1,374 unemployed people in Everett and the total labor force was at 21,583.
Meanwhile, several surrounding cities also saw the same decreases in unemployment, with Lynn being the one surrounding city that saw a slight uptick over the past year.
In Chelsea, unemployment has fallen nearly one percent in the last two months. That city’s March number was 8.4 percent, down from 9.2 percent in January.
Revere’s March numbers were also the lowest in the last 13 months, coming in at 7 percent. It had been at 7.5 percent in January, and 7.3 percent in February.
In Lynn, unemployment for March was at 7.4 percent, down from 7.5 percent in February. It was one of the lowest unemployment numbers for the year in Lynn, though the December number was a tad lower at 7.3 percent.
Over the year unemployment rates fell in 21 areas and increased in one.
The preliminary statewide unadjusted unemployment rate estimate for March was 6.6 percent, down 0.2 of a percentage point from February. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was down 0.5 of a percentage point from the March 2013 rate of 7.1 percent.
During March, 11 of 12 areas for which job estimates are published recorded seasonal job gains while one area lost jobs. The largest job gain was in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area followed by the Worcester, Springfield, Barnstable, and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton areas. The Pittsfield area recorded a loss of jobs.
The seasonally adjusted statewide March unemployment rate, released on April 17, was 6.3 percent, down 0.2 of a percentage point over the month and down 0.6 of a percentage point over the year. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed an 8,100 job gain in March and an over the year gain of 50,400 jobs.