AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The unemployment rate in Maine has fallen to its lowest point since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Maine Department of Labor said Tuesday that the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in December. The agency said that was the lowest rate since March 2020.

The rate in November was 4.9%. The labor department said the number of nonfarm jobs increased by 1,800 in December. That was the highest number of jobs since July and the second highest in 21 months, the department said.

The unemployment rate for New England as a whole was 4.3% for December. It was 3.9% nationwide.