BLOOMINGTON -- Though McLean County's unemployment rate increased slightly from April to May, it was still the third-lowest in Illinois.

The 6 percent jobless rate in May compared to 5.9 percent in April and 4.7 percent in May 2008.

"The national economic problems continue to impact at the local level and the economy simply isn't as good as it was last year," explained Norman Kelewitz, an analyst with the Illinois Department of Employment Security. He said the slight jobless rate increase from April can be attributed to a seasonal drop in school employment.

Still, Kelewitz said McLean County is much better off than many areas of the state that don't have as stable of a work force in finance and government.

In fact, the statewide unemployment rate for May was 9.9 percent.

Within the county, the unemployment rate in Bloomington was 6.5 for May, compared to 4.8 percent in May 2008. The rate in Normal was 5.3 percent, compared to 4.7 percent in May 2008.

The Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area rate of 6 percent was the lowest of all metro areas in the state but the highest May rate since 1986, when it was 6.1 percent.

The county with the lowest rate in the state was Brown, at 3.7 percent, followed by Schuyler, at 5.6 percent. McLean County tied with Warren County for the third-lowest. The highest was Boone County, in the Rockford area, at 13.7 percent.

Other counties in The Pantagraph area and their May (April) unemployment rates are: Woodford County, 6.5 (7); Logan County, 7.8 (7.8); Livingston County, 9.4 (10.9); Ford County, 7.7 (8.0); DeWitt County, 7.6 (7.7); Iroquois County, 8.4 (8.5); LaSalle County, 10.5 (10.8); Macon County, 10 (9.8) and Tazewell County, 8.8 (9.1).