Virginia’s unemployment rate fell below 5% for the first time since March last month, but the state is still down more than 157,000 jobs from a year ago.

Unemployment rates also continued to fall in the District and in Maryland.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports Virginia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in November was 4.9%, down from 5.2% in October, but still higher than its 2.7% unemployment rate a year ago. Virginia’s civilian nonfarm payroll was 157.991 jobs fewer, or 4.4%, than November 2019.

The District’s unemployment rate was 7.5% in November, down from 8.3% in October.

Maryland’s unemployment rate was 6.8%, down from 7.7%. D.C.’s job count is down 6.6% from a year ago. It is down 4.4% in Maryland.

November unemployment rates were down in 25 states and the District in November, up in seven and unchanged in 18.

New Jersey had the highest state unemployment rate in November, at 10.2%, followed by Hawaii and Nevada, at 10.1% each.

Nebraska and Vermont had the lowest state unemployment rates last month, at 3.1% each, followed by South Dakota, at 3.5%.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics posts monthly state employment data online.