Politics & Government
Novato's Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly to 6.2 Percent
Marin County continues to have the lowest jobless rate in the state.
Marin's unemployment rate dropped further during the month of March, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department, and Mill Valley's jobless rate dipped below 4 percent.
The county's unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent last month, down from 5.4 percent in February.
Between February and March, the combined employment in the counties of Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo grew by 4,600 jobs to reach 1,014,300 jobs, according to the EDD, which groups those three counties to form a metropolitan division called "West Bay" in its data.
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The growth includes:
- a seasonal gain of 800 government jobs
- 700 new construction jobs
- increases in food service and bar jobs
However, 800 jobs were lost in retail trade, which is typical, according to the EDD.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In Marin County, all towns reported an improvement in the jobless rate from February to March. Novato saw a slight decline in unemployment, reported at 6.2 percent in March. The unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in February.
Larkspur had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent. The worst was Fairfax, at 8.8 percent.
# of People Unemployed in February
Corte Madera 3.6% 3.8% 5,300 200 Fairfax 8.8% 9.1% 4,600 400 Larkspur 2.5% 3.9% 7,100 300 Mill Valley 3.9% 4.0% 7,500 300 Novato 6.2% 6.4% 26,100 1,700 San Anselmo 6.5% 6.7% 7,500 500 San Rafael 6.2% 6.4% 30,200 2,000 Sausalito 3.9% 4.0% 5,400 200Marin's unemployment rate was markedly better than those for California or the nation, which were 9.4 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively.
The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.
See more on Novato Patch:
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- High School Graduation Rate Remains High Throughout Marin
- African Experience Hits Home for Rotary Member
- Novato’s Heather Gordon Revels in Video Game Glory
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