10:18 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday showed the unemployment rate fell in three states in February, rose in three and held steady elsewhere.

The largest unemployment rate declines were in Tennessee and Wisconsin, where it fell by 0.2 percentage point in each state. The largest unemployment rate gain was in Rhode Island where it rose by 0.3 percentage point. North Dakota had the lowest rate at 2% while California had the highest at 5.3%.

The national unemployment rate was reported at 3.9% in February, up from 3.7% in January.

Nonfarm payrolls rose in four states and were little changed elsewhere. Nationwide nonfarm payrolls rose by 275,000 in February after a 229,000 gain in January.

The largest payrolls gain in absolute terms was in Texas, which added 49,800 jobs, followed by Illinois with 23,100.