Maryland's unemployment rate inched up to 6.7 percent in September, from 6.6 percent in August.
Officials of the state Department of Economic and Employment Development said the increase was caused by a 2 percent seasonal drop in total employment, which fell to 2.45 million in September, from 2.5 million in August.
But the drop did not cause a corresponding increase in the unemployment rate because many workers, such as students with summer jobs, did not stay in the work force.
In fact, the number of people counted as unemployed actually fell slightly by 0.2 percent, to 175,078, from 175,475.
Unemployment in the Baltimore metropolitan area remained at 7.6 percent, with the number of unemployed dropping by more than 2,000. Temporary layoffs in manufacturing pushed the jobless rate in Baltimore County to 6.9 percent, from 6.6 percent in August.
In Queen Anne's County, the unemployment rate declined to 6.2 percent, from 6.6 percent, as a drop in food-processing work resulted in a departure of seasonal workers from the job market.
Unemployment in Baltimore City remained at 10.7 percent, the highest rate in the state.
The state's unemployment report, which is not seasonally adjusted, lags one month behind the national figures.