Warren County’s unemployment rate was up in December along with the state’s, according to numbers released Wednesday.

Joblessness was 7.7 percent for the month, up from 7.1 percent in November, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The slight uptick was due to a larger labor force and more people counted as unemployed. Revised figures showed 19,340 people in the local labor force, up by 90, and 1,480 people receiving unemployment benefit, up by 110.

Statewide, unemployment stood at 7.1 percent, up from 6.4 percent in November. The rate was down two-tenths of a point from December 2013. The state reported job losses this month in the government and leisure/hospitality sectors. Gains were reported in the profession and business services, construction and manufacturing sectors.

Seasonally adjusted, the state’s rate was 7.2 percent and the highest in the nation. The Labor Department reported 89,000 Mississippians were unemployed in December, down by 1,600 from November and by 10,000 for the year.

The national unemployment rate fell to 5.6 in December from 5.8 percent in November. It’s down from 6.7 percent in December 2013.

Higher rates were also recorded in Claiborne, Sharkey and Issaquena counties. Claiborne’s was up a point, to 11.7 percent. Sharkey’s was up more than 3 points, to 10.4 percent. Issaquena’s was 11 percent, up 1.4 percentage points.

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.