Jacksonville’s unemployment rate fell in March to its lowest level in at least 25 years, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said April 5.
The jobless rate for the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties dropped from a revised 2.9% in February to 2.5% in March, the agency said.
Duval County’s unemployment rate fell from 3.1% in February to 2.7% in March, the highest of the five counties in the metro area.
St. Johns County, at 2%, continued to have the second-lowest rate in the state, behind only Monroe County at 1.7%.
Nassau County was at 2.2%, Clay County was 2.3% and Baker County was 2.4% in March.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.2% last month, the Department of Economic Opportunity said. The agency does not adjust the Jacksonville area data for seasonal factors in its monthly reports.
The agency’s survey of non-farm business payrolls shows Jacksonville employers added 40,000 jobs from March 2021 through March 2022, a 5.5% growth rate.
Florida’s statewide growth rate was 5.7% in the 12-month period.