DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent in March, a rate that hasn’t changed for five months. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that the jobless rate held steady, where it has been since October 2018. The rate is the third-lowest in the country, tied with New Hampshire and behind Vermont and North Dakota.

The number of residents with jobs rose by about 5,400 from the February figure, but the number of unemployed people also rose slightly. Iowa’s rate compares to a national unemployment rate of 3.8 percent in March.