Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Rome added jobs again in March.

According to preliminary data, Rome also managed to lower the unemployment rate across the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

“Overall, March was a very good month,” Butler said. “Georgia’s economy, just like the nation’s, is running strong. Our communities are consistently adding jobs and unemployment rates are falling. The numbers continue to improve.”

The unemployment rate fell 0.5 percentage points in March, reaching 3.9 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 percent.

Rome ended March with 42,300 jobs. That’s an increase of 400 jobs over the month and an increase of 700 jobs when compared to the same time a year ago.

The labor force decreased in March by 94. The total was 44,517. That number is down by 126 from the total from March 2018.

Rome ended March with 42,776 employed residents.  That number grew by 109 over the month and increased by one when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims remained flat in March. When compared to last March, claims were up by about 52 percent.

The metropolitan statistical area includes just Floyd County.