Manteca’s jobless rate inched up for the third straight month in December to effectively buck an improving statewide employment trend in California.

There were 100 more Manteca residents without jobs in December than in November to bring the jobless rate up to 13.9 percent. That means 3,800 people are unemployed in Manteca.

Unemployment had reached a 2½ year low in August when the jobless rate dropped to 13.4 percent.

On the flipside, Manteca’s unemployment rate is below 14 percent for the fourth straight month. It’s been 52 consecutive months since the unemployment rate in Manteca was below 10 percent. From 1996 to 2006, Manteca’s jobless rate hovered between 6.5 and 7.5 percent.

 The state Economic Development Department jobs numbers released Friday shows 23,600 Manteca residents with jobs, the same as in November. That means the increase in the jobless rate reflects more people looking for jobs in December.

The unemployment rate in San Joaquin County jumped up to 15.9 percent from 15.5 percent.

During the same time frame, California’s unemployment slipped from 11.3 percent to 11.1 percent in December to put it at the lowest point since 2009.

The 15.9 percent unemployment rate for San Joaquin County means 47,500 people out of 298,000 folks in the labor force countywide are unemployed.  That’s the equivalent of the combined population of Ripon, Lathrop, and Escalon.

Trade, transportation, and utilities grew by 1,200 jobs in San Joaquin County during December while education and health services added 400, business and professional services added 400 jobs, and leisure and hospitality added 300 jobs.

The big losers were manufacturing with a loss of 900 jobs, government losing 700 jobs, and construction with 400 less jobs.

The jobless rate in December for Ripon was 11.2, in Lathrop it was at 12.9 percent, in Escalon it was at 14.7 percent, in Tracy it was at 10.0 percent, in Stockton it was 19.2 percent, and in Lodi it was at 12.1 percent.