LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska’s unemployment rate dropped for a third straight month, hitting 3.1 percent in March, according to a state report released Friday.
The rate was 3.2 percent in February and 3.3 percent in January, which was a tenth of a point under December’s 3.4 percent.
Nebraska Labor Department report also said the March rate was a tenth of a point under the year-ago rate of 3.2 percent in March 2016.
The new rate remained well below the U.S. rate of 4.5 percent in March, which was down two-tenths of a percentage point from the 4.7 percent in February.
Nebraska nonfarm employment remained above 1 million in March, the report said, rising 8,364 from February and 4,830 from a year ago. The private industry segments with the most growth over the past month were mining and construction, leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation and utilities.
The preliminary Omaha-area rate dropped to 3.2 percent from the revised rate of 3.4 percent in February and was three-tenths of a point under the 3.5 percent for March 2016. Lincoln’s preliminary rate dropped to 2.6 percent from 2.8 percent in January and 2.9 percent a year ago. Grand Island’s preliminary rate declined by four-tenths of a point - to 3.3 percent from 3.7 percent in February. The year-ago rate was 5 percent.
The unemployment rates for Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha have not been seasonally adjusted, so they cannot be directly compared with the state unemployment rate.
Here are preliminary area labor market unemployment rates for March, followed by the revised February rates:
- Beatrice: 3.5, 3.8
- Columbus: 3.2, 3.5
- Fremont: 3.0, 3.3
- Hastings: 3.3, 3.6
- Kearney: 2.2, 2.4
- Lexington: 3.1, 3.6
- Norfolk: 2.9, 3.2
- North Platte: 3.1, 3.5
- Red Willow: 2.7, 2.9
- Scottsbluff: 3.6, 4.0
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