San Diego County's unemployment rate was 4.7 percent last month, unchanged from January but below the 5.5 percent in February of last year, the state Employment Development Department announced Friday.
The San Diego figure compares to 5.7 percent statewide and 5.2 percent for the United States as a whole. Neither figure is seasonally adjusted.
According to the EDD, about 6,200 non-farm jobs were added in the San Diego region last month. A post-holiday drop of about 3,100 retail positions was offset by hiring at restaurants and bars.
In the one-year period since February 2015, more than 39,000 positions were created, the agency reported. The increase was led by the health care and social assistance sector, which added around 7,000 jobs.
Strong hiring was also seen at bars, restaurants and hotels, and in administrative services, according to the EDD.
Agency data showed 73,400 unemployed San Diego County residents last month, out of a civilian labor force of nearly 1.6 million. About 12,500 more people reported being without jobs in February of last year.
