AUSTIN (March 26, 2009)—Jobless rates in Waco and the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan areas changed little in February and remain below state and national averages, according to figures released Thursday.

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood posted a 6.1 percent jobless rate, while Waco’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent.

The Texas unemployment rate climbed from 6.4 percent in January to 6.5 percent in February, which is still well below the 8.1 percent national unemployment rate.

The Texas Workforce Commission said Thursday Texas dropped 46,100 nonagricultural jobs in February.

In January, the state lost 55,900 jobs overall.

Meanwhile, 14,700 jobs were added in education and health services in February, for an industry gain of 58,600 new positions in the past year.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area experienced the highest unemployment rate in Texas at 9.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted) while Midland experienced the lowest, at 3.9 percent rate.

According to the commission, over the past 12 months Texas recorded a net job loss of 62,600.

Preliminary February jobless rates with revised January numbers in parentheses (Not seasonally adjusted)

Abilene 5.0 (5.1)
Amarillo 4.5 (4.6)
Austin-Round Rock 6.3 (6.4)
Beaumont-Port Arthur 8.5 (8.8)
Brownsville-Harlingen 9.3 (9.5)
College Station-Bryan 4.8 (5.1)
Corpus Christi 6.0 (6.1)
Dallas-Plano-Irving 7.0 (7.1)
El Paso 8.2 (8.3)
Fort Worth-Arlington 6.9 (7.0)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 6.4 (6.5)
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 6.1 (6.5)
Laredo 7.4 (7.3)
Longview 6.0 (5.8)
Lubbock 4.5 (4.7)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 9.6 (10.1)
Midland 3.9 (3.8)
Odessa 5.3 (4.9)
San Angelo 5.4 (5.7)
San Antonio 6.0 (6.3)
Sherman-Denison 7.1 (7.4)
Texarkana 5.7 (5.8)
Tyler 6.6 (6.8)
Victoria 5.9 (5.9)
Waco 5.8 (5.9)
Wichita Falls 6.7 (6.8)