(Bloomberg) -- While unemployment in the US remains near historic lows, jobless rates are edging up on the East Coast -- and particularly in New York City, where it remains well above its pre-pandemic level.  

August rates rose in 16 states and were little changed in the 34 others, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday. Among states, the largest jumps were in Connecticut, Maryland, and New York, where the jobless rate rose 0.4 percentage point each from a month earlier. 

The three states were among the 15 states with a jobless rate at or above 4%, up from 10 in July. That compares with 3.7% at the national level.

New York City had the biggest increase among large cities, a gain of 0.6 percentage point to 6.6%. That’s well above the 3.7% rate from early 2020, before Covid-19 hit the country. 

The Los Angeles rate rose to 5.2% last month, now matching that of Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Miami and Seattle metro areas remained at or close to record lows.

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