COLUMBIA (WACH/AP)--South Carolina's jobless rate has gone up for a third month in a row, rising slightly in July to 9.6 percent from June's 9.4 percent.

The state's Department of Employment and Workforce reported Friday there were about 4,000 more unemployed people in the state and about 11,000 fewer employed people. The agency says this pattern often occurs during the middle of the year. 

The June rate of 9.4 percent had been 0.3 percentage points higher than May's rate.

May's rate of 9.1 percent was the first time South Carolina unemployment had gone up in 10 months.

The national unemployment rate in July increased to 8.3 percent from June's 8.2 percent.