TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from February to March, according to numbers released Friday by the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
The 3.5% jobless mark represents 360,000 Floridians out of work from a workforce of 10.3 million, an increase of 3,000 listed as unemployed from February to March.
The state unemployment rate remains below the national mark of 3.8%.
Florida officials highlighted that the state has seen an increase of 209,700 jobs over the past year, an increase of 2.4%.
The job category with the biggest growth during that time was professional and business services, which grew by 50,500 positions.
Other categories with the top year-to-year growth were education and health services; leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation, and utilities; and construction.
Over the past year, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area had the largest increase in jobs at 55,500, or 2.1%; followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area at 47,400 jobs, a 3.7% increase; and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area at 29,600 jobs, a 2.2% increase.
The Panama City area, still recovering from Hurricane Michael in October, reported a decrease of 1,000 jobs over the past year, a 1.2% drop.
BY THE NUMBERS: WHERE THE JOBS ARE
By the numbers: Where the jobs are
The state Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday released unemployment rates for March. Here’s how counties stacked up, with February numbers in parentheses:
Monroe County: 2.3 percent (2.4)
Okaloosa County: 2.8 percent (3.0)
St. Johns County: 2.8 percent (2.9)
Collier County: 2.9 percent (3.1)
Orange County: 2.9 percent (3.1)
Wakulla County: 2.9 percent (3.0)
Alachua County: 3.0 percent (3.2)
Lafayette County: 3.0 percent (3.1)
Leon County: 3.0 percent (3.2)
Seminole County: 3.0 percent (3.1)
Union County: 3.0 percent (3.1)
Walton County: 3.0 percent (3.2)
Bradford County: 3.1 percent (3.2)
Broward County: 3.1 percent (3.3)
Clay County: 3.1 percent (3.3)
Lee County: 3.1 percent (3.3)
Manatee County: 3.1 percent (3.3 percent)
Nassau County: 3.1 percent (3.2)
Pinellas County: 3.1 percent (3.3)
Santa Rosa County: 3.1 percent (3.2)
Baker County: 3.2 percent (3.3)
Hillsborough County: 3.2 percent (3.3)
Martin County: 3.2 percent (3.4)
Palm Beach County: 3.2 percent (3.4)
Sarasota County: 3.2 percent (3.4)
Brevard County: 3.3 percent (3.5)
Columbia County: 3.3 percent (3.6)
Duval County: 3.3 percent (3.5)
Escambia County: 3.3 percent (3.5)
Lake County: 3.3 percent (3.5)
Osceola County: 3.3 percent (3.5)
*STATE: 3.3 percent (3.4)
DeSoto County: 3.4 percent (3.8)
Jefferson County: 3.4 percent (3.7)
Miami-Dade County: 3.4 percent (3.2)
Okeechobee County: 3.5 percent (3.7)
Suwannee County: 3.5 percent (3.7)
Taylor County: 3.5 percent (3.7)
Volusia County: 3.5 percent (3.7)
Washington County: 3.5 percent (3.9)
Gilchrist County: 3.6 percent (3.7)
Holmes County: 3.6 percent (3.9)
Pasco County: 3.6 percent (3.8)
Charlotte County: 3.7 percent (3.9)
Dixie County: 3.7 percent (4.0)
Glades County: 3.7 percent (3.8)
Indian River County: 3.7 percent (3.9)
Jackson County: 3.7 percent (4.1)
Liberty County: 3.7 percent (4.0)
Polk County: 3.7 percent (3.9)
Flagler County: 3.8 percent (4.1)
Franklin County: 3.8 percent (4.4)
Levy County: 3.8 percent (4.0)
Madison County: 3.9 percent (4.1)
Marion County: 3.9 percent (4.2)
St. Lucie County: 3.9 percent (4.2)
Calhoun County: 4.1 percent (4.6)
Gadsden County: 4.2 percent (4.4)
Bay County: 4.3 percent (5.0)
Hernando County: 4.3 percent (4.6)
Hamilton County: 4.4 percent (4.7)
Highlands County: 4.4 percent (4.8)
Putnam County: 4.4 percent (4.6)
Hendry County: 4.6 percent (5.0)
Hardee County: 4.8 percent (5.1)
Citrus County: 4.9 percent (5.3)
Sumter County: 4.9 percent (5.1)
Gulf County: 5.3 percent (6.2)
*The county unemployment rates and the 3.3 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 March.