Unemployment rates steady in Valley – Unemployment rates remained fairly steady in the eight-county San Joaquin Valley region in March and stayed below March 2016 rates, according to data released by the California Employment Development Department.  Here are the March jobless numbers, followed in parentheses by the February 2016 and March 2015 rates:

Fresno – 10.6 percent (10.4, 11.7)

Kern – 11.6 percent (11.0, 11.7)

Kings – 11.4 percent (11.3, 12.3)

Madera – 10.5 percent (9.9, 12.3)

Merced – 12.5 percent (12.5, 13.5)

San Joaquin – 8.8 percent (8.8, 13.1)

Stanislaus – 9.6 percent (9.3, 10.7)

Tulare – 12.4 percent (12.1, 13.5)