Unemployment in Warren County ticked up slightly in March compared to February while the statewide rate went down a tad.

The countywide unemployment rate was 9 percent for March, up a tenth of a point from February, according to monthly figures released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Statewide, unemployment stood at 7.9 percent, down a tenth of a point for the month. Seasonally adjusted, the state’s rate was 7.6 percent. The national rate was 6.8 percent in March, up from 6.6 percent in February.

Sectors in Mississippi with the largest gains in March were government and leisure and hospitality, MDES said.

Raw numbers for Warren County’s workforce were nearly unchanged in March. The total labor force was 19,850 for the month, up by 10 people. The ranks of the employed was down by 10, to 18,060, while the unemployed totaled 1,790, up by 20.

The unemployment rate is calculated by a survey that asks how many people are looking for a job. A second survey each month asks employers how many people are on their payrolls, a measure many economists use as their top labor market indicator.

The rate was lower in Sharkey County, which came in at 10.5 percent in March, or 1.9 percent higher. Claiborne and Issaquena counties were higher for the month — Claiborne at 13.5 percent, up a tenth of a point, and Issaquena was 17.5 percent, up from 14.4 percent in February.