(KLZA)-- Unemployment rates for January are lower for extreme Southeast Nebraska than they were in January 2015.

Pawnee County has the lowest unemployment rate in the area at 2.4 percent. The January rate in Richardson County was 3.7 percent; Nemaha County 3.5 percent; Johnson County 3.7 percent, Otoe County 3.7 percent and Gage County had the highest unemployment rate in the area at 3.9 percent.

There were no December figures available for individual counties.  Seven counties had unemployment rates of 5-percent or higher in January. 

Statewide the January unemployment rate was 3 percent, the same as in December, but a tenth of a point higher than a year earlier. 

The national unemployment rate for January was 4.9 percent. Nebraska has the 4th lowest unemployment figure for January trailing North and South Dakota at 2.8 percent and the 2.9 percent figure for New Hampshire.