California's reported unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) in February improved 0.5 point from the revised January number to 8.5%.  

Total reported employment grew 345,500 from the revised January numbers, while total unemployment dropped 69,900.  The labor force improved by 275,500.

The reported national numbers show US unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) improving 0.1 point to 6.2%, but more likely was up to 0.5 point higher due to the ongoing misclassification issues.  Employment was up 208,000, and unemployment down by 158,000.  The national labor force was essentially level with a gain of only 50,000.

Nonfarm wage and salary jobs rose 141,000 (seasonally adjusted) in February, while the losses in January were revised to 80,000 from the previously reported 69,900.  Nonfarm jobs nationally were up 379,000. California job growth was led by Accommodation & Food Services (91,700), Other Services (14,100), and Health Care & Social Assistance (13,400).  Losses were in 9 industries led by Information (-2,800), Transportation, Wholesale Trade (-2,600), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing (-11,600).  The numbers shown in the chart below are the seasonally adjusted numbers.

The number of counties with an unemployment rate at 10% or above dipped to 11. The unadjusted rates ranged from 5.0% in Marin to 15.9% in Imperial.

In January, the unemployment rate for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA was 11.5%, dropping that region into 8th worst rate among the 389 MSAs in the US.  El Centro MSA (Imperial County) again had the worst unemployment rate in the nation. Looking just at the county rather than the MSA level, Los Angeles County at 10.9% had the seventh worst unemployment rate in California in February.