The city of Martinsville's jobless rate remained the highest in Virginia in December.
The Virginia Employment Commission says the city's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 16.7 percent, up from 15.4 percent in November and down from 17.1 percent a year ago. The statewide rate for December was 6.1 percent.
Nationally, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for December was 8.3 percent. Rates dropped from last year in 329 metropolitan areas, increased in 36 and were flat in seven.
Arlington County had Virginia's lowest jobless rate with 3.6 percent in December, followed by 4.2 percent in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.
The Danville region had the highest unemployment rate among Virginia's metropolitan regions at 8.9 percent. The Washington metropolitan region that includes Arlington and Alexandria had the lowest jobless rate of 4.6 percent.
