Unemployment in Maine's three major metropolitan areas fell in February.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics found joblessness in Bangor went from 4.2 percent in January down to 3.9 percent in February. In Lewiston-Auburn, the rate went from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent. Portland-South Portland saw the biggest drop, from 3.3 percent to just 2.9 percent.
The jobless figures for Portland-South Portland and Bangor were lower this February than in February of 2018. Lewiston-Auburn's unemployment rate was the same as it was in February a year ago.
Nationally, unemployment rates were lower in about two-thirds of the metro areas, when compared to February a year ago. The lowest metro unemployment rate in the country in February was 1.4 percent in Ames, Iowa. The highest jobless rate was in El Centro, California, 17.4 percent.
