After claiming the title of lowest state unemployment rate in the country last year, Maryland’s unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month in February.

Virginia’s unemployment rate held steady last month.

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports Maryland’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in February was 2.4%, up from 2.3% in January and 2.2% in December.

Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.0%, unchanged from December and January. It was about the same as a year earlier.

North Dakota had the lowest state unemployment rate in February, at 2.0%, followed by South Dakota, at 2.1%. California now has the highest unemployment rate among states, at 5.3%, displacing Nevada, which now has the second-highest state unemployment rate, at 5.2% in February.

Nationally, the unemployment rate in February rose 0.3% to 3.9%.

Maryland had about 24,000 more jobs at the end of February. Virginia ended the month with a year-over-year payroll gain of 38,000 jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics posts monthly unemployment and civilian payroll changes by state online.