Florida jobless rate up slightly in February

State's unemployment rate remains well below national average

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida’s jobless rate ticked up in February for the second straight month, according to numbers released Friday by the state Department of Economic Opportunity.

The 3.5 percent unemployment rate represents 357,000 Floridians out of jobs from a workforce of 10.34 million. The state’s unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in January.

With drops in jobs involving transportation, warehousing and utilities and information fields, 5,000 more Floridians were out of work in February than in the January estimate. During the first two months of the year, the number of unemployed people in Florida grew by 12,000.

The February jobless number, however, is 37,000 fewer than a year earlier. The state rate remains below the national unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, which was down from 4 percent in January.

According to the DEO report, the Jacksonville area  added 6,200 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The industry with the highest growth over the year in Northeast Florida was education and health services, with 3,100 new jobs.

Across the state, a noticeable change in the February numbers is that the Panama City metropolitan statistical area no longer held the highest unemployment rate. The area’s 5.1 percent mark equaled The Villages metropolitan statistical area and was lower than the 5.3 percent of the Homosassa Springs region. The Homosassa Springs metropolitan statistical area was at 5.9 percent in January.

The Panhandle region including Panama City had posted the highest unemployment rate since it was hit by Hurricane Michael in October. Its number dropped from 6.1 percent in January. On a county basis, Gulf County, which is east of Panama City and sustained heavy damage in Hurricane Michael, had the highest rate in February at 6.2 percent. Bay County, which includes Panama City, fell from 6 percent in January to 5 percent in the latest numbers, putting it below the 5.3 percent for Citrus County and 5.1 percent for Hardee and Sumter counties.

At the other end, Monroe County maintained the lowest unemployment rate at 2.4 percent, down from 2.8 percent in January. Monroe County was followed by St. Johns County at 2.9 percent and Okaloosa and Wakulla counties at 3 percent.

By the numbers: Where the jobs are 

From the Keys to the Panhandle, the jobs picture in Florida varies.

Here’s how the counties stacked up in the unemployment figures for February released Friday by the state Department of Economic Opportunity:

Monroe County: 2.4 percent

St. Johns County: 2.9 percent

Okaloosa County: 3.0 percent

Wakulla County: 3.0 percent

Collier County: 3.1 percent

Lafayette County: 3.1 percent

Orange County: 3.1 percent

Seminole County: 3.1 percent

Walton County: 3.1 percent

Alachua County: 3.2 percent

Bradford County: 3.2 percent

Leon County: 3.2 percent

Miami-Dade County: 3.2 percent

Nassau County: 3.2 percent

Santa Rosa County: 3.2 percent

Union County: 3.2 percent

Baker County: 3.3 percent

Broward County: 3.3 percent

Clay County: 3.3 percent

Hillsborough County: 3.3 percent

Lee County: 3.3 percent

Manatee County: 3.3 percent

Pinellas County: 3.3 percent

Martin County: 3.4 percent

Palm Beach County: 3.4 percent

Sarasota County: 3.4 percent

*STATE: 3.4 percent

Brevard County: 3.5 percent

Columbia County: 3.5 percent

Duval County: 3.5 percent

Escambia County: 3.5 percent

Lake County: 3.5 percent

Osceola County: 3.5 percent

Gilchrist County: 3.7 percent

Jefferson County: 3.7 percent

Okeechobee County: 3.7 percent

Suwannee County: 3.7 percent

Taylor County: 3.7 percent

Volusia County: 3.7 percent

DeSoto County: 3.8 percent

Pasco County: 3.8 percent

Charlotte County: 3.9 percent

Glades County: 3.9 percent

Holmes County: 3.9 percent

Indian River County: 3.9 percent

Polk County: 3.9 percent

Washington County: 3.9 percent

Dixie County: 4.0 percent

Flagler County: 4.0 percent

Levy County: 4.0 percent

Liberty County: 4.0 percent

Jackson County: 4.1 percent

Madison County: 4.1 percent

Marion County: 4.2 percent

St. Lucie County: 4.2 percent

Franklin County: 4.4 percent

Gadsden County: 4.4 percent

Calhoun County: 4.6 percent

Hernando County: 4.6 percent

Putnam County: 4.6 percent

Hamilton County: 4.7 percent

Highlands County: 4.8 percent

Bay County: 5.0 percent

Hendry County: 5.0 percent

Hardee County: 5.1 percent

Sumter County: 5.1 percent

Citrus County: 5.3 percent

Gulf County: 6.2 percent

*The county unemployment rates and the 3.4 percent state rate are not seasonally adjusted. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate, which is often used for monthly statewide comparisons, was 3.5 percent in February.