The state’s unemployment rate inched up slightly in July, to 6.9%, according to the latest estimates from the Maine Department of Labor.
The latest release marks a slight increase from June, when an estimated 6.8% of people seeking jobs in Maine could not find them.
The rate remains lower than the national average, which fell from 7.6% in June to 7.4% in July. Maine also stayed ahead of New England’s average unemployment, which stood at 7.2% in July.
Among those, Maine had a higher unemployment rate than New Hampshire (5.1%), Vermont (4.6%), and a lower rate than Massachusetts (7.2%), Rhode Island (8.9%) and Connecticut (8.1%).
During the same period, the Department of Labor estimates the total number of nonfarm jobs in Maine increased by around 1,600 over June and 4,800 above one year ago.