Evanston’s unemployment rate edged up in March after dropping in February.
The March number was 6.3 percent, up a tenth-of-a-percent from February and from a year ago.
The rate for the metro area as a whole in March was 9.0 percent, unchanged from February and down from 9.5 percent a year ago.
Statewide the jobless rate was 9.0 percent in March, down from a revised 9.4 percent in February and 9.6 percent a year ago.
The 2,546 people looking for jobs in Evanston in March was up by 6 from revised numbers for February. But the number of people with jobs shrank by 37 from 40,755 to 40,718 as people left the labor force and didn’t report they were looking for work.
Eight of the nearly 100 towns in Illinois with more than 25,000 residents had lower jobless numbers than Evanston in January. The lowest rate, 5.1 percent was in Wilmette. Other nearby towns with lower rates included Glenview at 5.8 percent, Highland Park at 5.9 percent, and Northbrook at 5.7 percent.