The unemployment rate dropped in three area counties in March, the state Department of Labor and Industry said.
Huntingdon County saw the biggest improvement with its jobless rate dropping from 9.1 percent in February to 8.6 percent in March.
Amy Wise, executive director of Huntingdon County Business and Industry, attributes the drop to seasonal workers in the construction and excavating industries returning to work.
"The continued improvements are certainly great. In the upcoming months, we expect to continue to see growth albeit slow growth," Wise said.
The unemployment rate also dropped in Centre and Clearfield counties.
Centre County's rate dropped from 5.6 percent in February to 5.4 percent in March while Clearfield County's rate dropped from 8.2 percent in February to 8.1 percent in March.
Centre County has the second lowest unemployment rate of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Montour County has the lowest rate at 5.3 percent while Philadelphia County has the highest rate at 10.3 percent.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady in Blair and Cambria counties.
Blair County's rate remained at 6.6 percent while Cambria's held steady at 8.2 percent, the department said. Over the year, Blair's rate is down two-tenths of a percentage point while Cambria's is down three-tenths of a percentage point.
Blair's rate remains below Pennsylvania's rate of 7.5 percent and the national rate of 8.2 percent.
Bedford County was the only area county to experience an increase as its jobless rate jumped from 8.4 percent in February to 8.5 percent in March.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
