Mansfield's Unemployment Dips Slightly in December

The town of Mansfield saw a slight decrease in its unemployment rate in the month of December, according to numbers released yesterday.

The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development released its local unemployment numbers yesterday, and Mansfield's rate increased from 5.3 percent in November to 5.2 percent last month. Both numbers are below last December's 6.8 percent.

The unemployment rates for area towns follow:

• Attleboro's rate fell a bit, from 8.7 percent in November to 8.4 percent last month. December 2010's rate was 9.3 percent.
• Dover's unemployment rate went up slightly, from 3 percent to 3.2 percent last month. Last December's rate was 4.3 percent.
• Easton had its rate increase from 5.1 percent in November to 5.5 percent in December. Last year's rate was 7.3 percent.
• Foxborough's unemployment rate was steady at 5.8 percent for both November and December. The rate for last December was 6.9 percent.
• Medfield's unemployment rate went up a bit, from 4.4 percent to 4.5 percent, but both numbers were below last year's 5.9 percent rate.
• Norfolk saw its rate fall from 5.3 percent to 5.2 percent in December. Last year's rate was 7.1 percent.
• Norton's unemployment rate was up slightly in December, from 6.6 percent to 6.7 percent, while both numbers are below the 8.2 percent rate last year.
• Norwood saw its December rate fall from 5.5 percent to 5.2 percent. Last year's rate was 6.8 percent.
• Plainville saw a jump in its unemployment rate, from 7.6 percent in November to 8.2 percent last month. The rate last December was 8.8 percent.
• Sharon's unemployment rate went up a bit, from 4.6 percent in November to 4.8 percent in December. The rate in December 2010 was 5.7 percent.
• Stoughton had its rate fall in December from 6.2 percent to 6 percent. Last December's rate was 7.1 percent.