ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY -- St. Lawrence County gained 200 jobs since March 2018 and saw the unemployment rate drop from 6.7% in March 2018 to 6.1% last month, according to figures release April 23 by the state Department of Labor.

There were 2,900 people receiving benefits in March 2018 and 2,600 last month.

There were 40,600 people working in March 2018 compared with 40,800 last month, DOL said.

To our east in Franklin County, the rate fell to 5.6% last month from 6.4% in March last year. They had 1,100 people receiving benefits last month and 1,200 the same month in 2018. They had 18,400 people employed in March 2019 and 18,300 in March last year, DOL said.

To the west in Jefferson County, the unemployment rate fell to 6.3% last month from 7.4% in March 2018. They had 2,800 people receiving unemployment last month and 3,300 in March 2018. There were 41,200 people employed in the county last month and 40,900 in March 2018, DOL said.

While St. Lawrence County frequently leads the state in unemployment, in March Hamilton County, bordering St. Lawrence County to our southeast, had the highest unemployment rate at 7.5%, and Lewis County, bordering on the south, stood at 7.2%.

These figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, DOL said.