Mower County’s jobless rate fell slightly, from 6.2 percent in February to 6.1 percent in March, according to data released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Mower’s rate has been significantly lower than most other counties in the region, and March was no different. Freeborn County’s March unemployment rate was 7.9 percent, Steele was 7.7 percent and Dodge was 7.4. Only Olmsted County was lower, at 5.7 percent. The regional average was 7 percent, and the national average was 9.2.

“Mower County has been lower for a long time,” said Bob Haas, area manager of Workforce Development Inc. of Mower and Freeborn counties. “I think it’s related to the strong manufacturing base that Mower County has. The food production industry is really going strong. People have to eat, and people really haven’t cut back on that, and I think that’s the main reason.”

Haas said expansion in the health care industry also has been beneficial for Mower County.

“We have the Mayo presence in our area, and we also have the Hormel Institute, which also continues to grow. That’s all good for Mower County.”

There was also a drop in unemployment from March 2010, when the rate was at 6.6 percent, the highest of the year. March has historically been the highest — March 2009’s rate topped that year at 7.5 percent — something Haas attributes to layoffs in January and February after Christmas, and because road construction hasn’t started. So Haas sees last month’s numbers as a good sign.

“I think there is a much more positive outlook for the future,” Haas said. “A lot of manufacturing companies aren’t hiring directly, but there’s a lot of temporary activity. … Once a company finds out this is working, they make those people permanent.”