By Matt Bittle

DOVER — Delaware’s unemployment rate rose slightly in February, even as the country’s saw a small drop.

According to data released Friday by the Delaware Department of Labor, 6.3% of the state’s labor force was not employed last month, up from 6.1% the prior month. Nationally, the jobless rate went from 6.3% to 6.2%.

In February 2020, the last full month before COVID-19 arrived in the First State, 4.5% of Delawareans were out of work. For the country as a whole, the figure was 3.5%.

The First State’s jobless rate skyrocketed from 4.8% to 13.4% from March to April last year. It remained at similar levels in May and June, before slipping down to 8.3% in July. Unemployment continued declining until October, when it hit 5.7%.

The rate has risen in each of the past four months.

Across the country, the unemployment rate peaked at 14.8% in April (up from 4.4% last March). It has declined every month since, although it still remains at the highest pre-pandemic point since 2014.

Over the past year, Delaware has lost 24,300 nonfarm jobs, equivalent to 5.3% of its workforce. About 9,200, or 38%, were in leisure and hospitality. It has actually gained 2,200 positions in transportation and utilities since February 2020.

The United States as a whole saw a 6% drop in employment in the previous 12 months.

2020’s job loss is the biggest on record for Delaware, easily surpassing the nadir of the Great Recession.

Prior to 2020, Delaware’s highest unemployment rate on record was 9.8% in 1976, the first year relevant job data is available. Similarly, before the pandemic, Delaware had never seen its jobless rate improve by more than 0.3% in a single month.

Average weekly earnings here for February 2021 were $926.06, down $10.62 from the month before but up $18.21 from 12 months prior.

Locally, unemployment for February was 6.5% in New Castle County, 7.5% in Kent County and 6.5% in Sussex County. However, unlike the state data, the county figures are not seasonally adjusted.