Covington County’s jobless rate rose slightly in May, but it was still almost a full point behind the state average.

In May, 1,420 claims for unemployment benefits were filed – an increase of 34 claims from April, bringing the county’s total to 8.7 percent.

In April, the county’s jobless rate was 8.5 percent.

In Alabama, 206,809 claims for unemployment were filed, raising the unemployment rate from 9.3 percent in April to 9.6 percent in May. This figure also includes those affected by the April 27 tornados in North Alabama due to the way rates are calculated. To date, more than 6,400 storm-related unemployment claims have been received by the department of industrial relations.