BOSTON – The unemployment rate for New England rose 0.2 percentage points in June to 7.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday.
The jobless rate in New England, which is one of nine geographic divisions across the United States, was below the national average of 7.6 percent for the month. The national unemployment rate was unchanged from May.
Year over year, the unemployment rate in New England fell 0.2 percentage points from 7.3 percent. Nationally, the jobless rate fell 0.6 percent in June during the same 12 month period.
Of the six New England states, Vermont had the lowest jobless rate in June at 4.4 percent, seasonally adjusted. Following Vermont were New Hampshire at 5.2 percent, Maine at 6.8 percent and Massachusetts at 7.0 percent, seasonally adjusted.
Connecticut at 8.1 percent and Rhode Island at 8.9 percent were both above the national average.
In Rhode Island in June, the civilian labor force shrank by 0.25 percent year over year, meaning that there were 1,400 fewer people in the Ocean State either employed or looking for work in the 12 months ended June 31, according to the report released Thursday by the R.I. Department of Labor.
The New England region as a whole saw its civilian labor force contract year-over-year by 0.23 percent, or 17,800. All employment data for June 2013 was listed as “preliminary.”
Of the nine geographic divisions in the U.S., the East North Central division reported the highest jobless rate at 8.2 percent, and the West North Central division again registered the lowest rate at 5.4 percent.
Of the four regions in the U.S., the Northeast region — which includes the six New England states as well as New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania — had a jobless rate of 7.6 percent in June, a 0.1 percentage point increase from May, but a 0.7 percentage point drop from June 2012.
