RI unemployment rate second highest in US
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's jobless rate is now the second-highest in the nation, and the state is one of only three still recording double-digit unemployment.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday the rate in February declined in 29 states and rose in 8, including Rhode Island. The state rate is 11 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from January.
Nevada has the nation's highest unemployment rate, at 12.3 percent. California fell to number three, with a rate of 10.9 percent.
The national rate is 8.3 percent.
A year ago, Rhode Island unemployment stood at 11.3 percent.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee has called the level "unacceptable."
