Massachusetts Had Nation's Biggest Drop In Unemployment In August

MASSACHUSETTS —The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell to 11.3 percent in August, down from 16.1 percent in July, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The drop was the biggest in the nation and ended a two-month streak when Massachusetts had the highest unemployment rate in the country. It was the second straight month the Massachusetts unemployment rate fell after peaking at 17.7 percent in June. The state's unemployment rate was, however, still above the national rate of 8.4 percent.

Friday's unemployment report comes on the heels of a report showing that certain segments of the retail sector are doing better than expected, while state and local governments continue to ease coronavirus restrictions that triggered a massive economic slowdown in March.

Celebrating an unemployment rate of "only" 11.3 percent underscores just how much the coronavirus crisis has decimated the national job market. In August 2019, the Massachusetts unemployment rate was 2.8 percent.

Read more: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics August Unemployment Report

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).