San Rafael's Unemployment Rate Sees Slight Dip

Marin's unemployment rate dropped further during the month of March, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

And, reflecting the decrease, San Rafael's jobless rate dipped from 6.4 percent in February to 6.2 percent in March.

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.

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.

In Marin County, all towns reported an improvement in the jobless rate from February to March. 

Larkspur had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent. The worst was Fairfax, at 8.8 percent.

# of People Unemployed in February

Marin'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.

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