Maine's unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in June, down from 5.7 percent in May and 6.7 percent a year ago, state Labor Department officials say.
Commissioner Jeanne Paquette says the number of jobless Mainers fell by 8,200 to 39,300 over the year. She ways the estimated share of the population employed in June was 61.6, exceeding the U.S. average of 59 percent.
Paquette says Maine saw job growth across a number of sectors.
Nationally, the unemployment rate in June was 6.1 percent, and in the New England region, the average jobless rate was 5.7 percent.
June unemployment rates in the region varied widely, from a low of 3.5 percent in Vermont to a high of 7.9 percent in Rhode Island. Among other New England states, the June unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in New Hampshire, 5.5 percent in Massachusetts and 6.7 percent in Connecticut.
