Recently released data show that seven out of 10 local counties had higher unemployment rates in March of this year than they did during the same month last year.

Dubuque County’s unemployment rate in March was 4.8%, 1 percentage point higher than March 2020, according to just-released data from Iowa Workforce Development.

Unemployment rates also were up in surrounding counties. In Clayton County, the rate was 6.6% in March, up from 6.4% a year ago. Delaware County’s unemployment rate was 3.7%, up from 3.3%; Jackson County’s rate was 5.8%, up from 4.6%; and Jones County’s rate was 5.3%, up from 5%.

The state of Iowa’s unemployment rate was 3.7% last month, up from 2.9% a year ago. The national unemployment rate was 6% in March.

In Wisconsin, local counties saw a mix of trends. The unemployment rate was 3.8% in March in Grant County, down from 3.9% in March 2020. The unemployment rate in Crawford County last month was 6.2%, even with one year prior. Lafayette County’s rate was 3.9% in March, up from 3.4%; and Iowa County’s rate was 5.1%, up from 4.1%.

Wisconsin’s statewide unemployment rate was 3.8% in March, up from 3.2% one year prior, according to the state’s Department of Workforce Development.

Illinois has not yet released county-level unemployment data for March. The statewide unemployment rate last month was 7.1%, up from 3.7% a year ago, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.