Local unemployment continues to rise.

The Warren County unemployment rate for August, released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I), was up for the third consecutive month.

The seasonally adjusted 6.7 percent unemployment reported for August reflects about 1,200 unemployed residents.

August’s was the highest rate since March — 7.0 percent — and continued an upward trend begun in June.

The last time the rate decreased was in May, when unemployment was down to 5.7 percent. The April rate was 6.5 percent.

Since May, the rate rose to 6 percent in June and 6.2 percent in July.

Compared to July, there were fewer people employed in hospitality and trade, transportation, and utilities.

In August 2020, there were about 1,500 county residents unemployed and the rate was 8.4 percent.

The county compares favorably in the region, but has a higher rate than both the state and the nation.

For August, Meadville’s unemployment was 6.8 percent, Erie and Oil City each had a rate of 7.1, Bradford stood at 7.3 percent, and Forest County was at 9 percent.

The statewide rate was 6.4 and the nation’s was 5.2

According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor, seasonal adjustment “is a statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment changes from month-to-month.”

“These seasonal adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical, underlying trend and other nonseasonal movements in the series,” making it possible to make month-to-month comparisons.