Labor statistics released on Friday show that the official unemployment rate on the central coast is still higher than the national average. 10-point-7 percent of workers in Monterey County were registered as unemployed in August, which is equal to the unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County. In san benito county, the rate is higher, at 12-point-9 percent. The state unemployment rate in August was 12-point-1 percent, which is higher than the national rate of 9-point-1 percent.
