The local unemployment rate was 6.4 percent last month, according to preliminary numbers released by the state Employment Development Department this morning.
That’s up from 6.0 percent in June, and up 1.5 percent from last July’s estimate of 4.9 percent.
In the same period, California’s rate was 7.6 percent and the nationwide rate was 6.0 percent.
Overall, the region had fewer jobs in July than it had in the same month in 2007, continuing the year-over-year job loss pattern that led economists last month to concede the region is in a recession.