Martinsville keeps top jobless rate in January

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The city of Martinsville's jobless rate remained the highest in Virginia in January.

The Virginia Employment Commission says the city's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 16.9 percent, up from 15.2 percent in December and 18.1 percent a year ago. The statewide rate for January was 6.2 percent.

Nationally, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for January was 8.5 percent. Rates dropped from last year in 2,227 metropolitan areas, increased in 124 and were flat in 21.

Arlington County had Virginia's lowest jobless rate with 3.9 percent in January, followed by 4.2 percent in Loudoun County

The Danville region had the highest unemployment rate among Virginia's metropolitan regions at 8.7 percent. The Washington metropolitan region that includes Arlington and Alexandria had the lowest jobless rate of 4.6 percent.