Washington Parish’s June unemployment rate of 8.4 percent showed a two-point improvement over the year, but was nearly one point higher than that of the previous month.

According to data released Friday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission, 1,270 parish citizens, or 8.4 percent of the civilian labor force, were out of work in June. That month, 13,852 people in the parish were employed.

The parish jobless rate for May, when 13,838 people were employed and 1,120 were without work, was 7.5 percent.

The June 2013 unemployment rate was 10.6 percent, with the number of employed at 13,968 and the number of unemployed at 1,653.

Neighboring St. Tammany Parish saw unemployment of 4.8 percent for June, 6.3 percent for the same time the previous year and 4.6 percent for May 2014.

The jobless rate in nearby Tangipahoa Parish stood at 7.0 percent in June, 6.2 percent in May and 8.9 percent in June 2013.

Statewide, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7 percent for June, when 2,013,688 members of the civilian labor force, which includes the number of people working plus those looking for work, were employed and 121,698 were without a job.

The state’s jobless rate was 5.3 percent the previous month and 7.4 percent at the same point in 2013.

In June, a record was also set for the number of people employed in the state’s civilian labor force, 2,013,688. That number, derived from a survey of 750 households, shows an increase of 33,133.

“Our civilian labor force is growing, more people are going to work, and employers continue to create new jobs,” said Curt Eysink, LWC executive director. “Louisiana is doing well, and we have a very strong growth forecast for years to come.”

Unemployment nationwide was 6.3 percent in June, 6.1 percent in May and 7.8 percent in June 2013.