The Employment Development Department has released the latest unemployment numbers, and it’s not good news for Kern County.

The county’s unemployment rate was 9.3% in February, up from 9% in January and 8.2% in December.

Kern’s unemployment rate was higher in February of 2024 at 9.7%.

California’s unemployment rate in February was 5.5%.

Nationwide, the number was 4.5%. Kern County’s unemployment rate is almost 5% higher than the national estimate.