The unemployment rate in New England ticked up in May but remains considerably lower than the national rate.
The rate for the six-state region was 6.9 percent, up from 6.8 percent in April, according to the New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year ago, the rate in New England was 7.3 percent.
The national unemployment rate for May was 7.6 percent.
Rhode Island and Connecticut had the highest jobless rates in the region in May, 8.9 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Maine's rate was 6.8 percent, Massachusetts' was 6.6 percent, New Hampshire's was 5.3 percent and Vermont's was 4.1 percent.
