The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Los Angeles County was 7.8 percent in February, down slightly from a revised 7.9 percent in January, the state Employment Development Department reported.
The 7.8 percent rate was well below the 8.7 percent rate from February 2014.
In Orange County, where seasonally adjusted numbers were not available, the unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for California was 6.7 percent in February, down from 7 percent in January and below the 8 percent rate in February 2014. The comparable estimates for the nation were 5.5 percent in February, 5.7 percent in January and 6.7 percent a year ago.
According to the EDD, total nonfarm employment increased in Los Angeles County by 25,400 jobs between January and February to reach nearly 4.3 million.
The educational and health services sectors added 12,900 jobs over the month, with colleges, universities and professional schools accounting for 60 percent of that gain, according to the EDD.
About 396,000 people were unemployed in February in Los Angeles County, which has a workforce of about 5 million.
—City News Service