Jacksonville's unemployment rate fell in February, with job growth pickup up as well.
The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area – consisting of Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties – fell from 5.2 percent in January to 4.5 percent in February, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said Friday.
The state agency does not adjust the data for seasonal factors, but the University of North Florida’s Local Economic Indicators Project said when the data is seasonally adjusted, it also shows a decline in the jobless rate from 4.68 percent in January to 4.46 percent last month.
“Overall, it's a very optimistic picture,” said UNF economist Albert Loh.
Duval County’s unemployment rate fell by 0.6 points to 4.8 percent last month before seasonal adjustment, the state agency said. LEIP said after seasonal adjustment, the county’s jobless rate fell from 5.45 percent in January to 4.94 percent in February.
Florida’s statewide unemployment was unchanged last month at a seasonally adjusted 5 percent.
The Department of Economic Opportunity also reported that non-farm businesses in the Jacksonville area added 25,900 jobs to their payrolls from February 2016 through February 2017, a strong 3.9 percent growth rate.