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December’s unemployment figures have been released by the Iowa Workforce Development and Washington County’s rate went up for a second month in a row.  The rate in the County rose to 4.9%, a half of a percent higher than November.  Washington County has almost 12,000 people in the workforce.

Across all of southeast Iowa, unemployment rates averaged two-thirds of a percent higher.  The lowest increase was in Louisa County with Iowa County having the highest increase.

Iowa’s unemployment dropped to five point six percent, which is still three percent lower than the national figure of eight and a half percent.