PRESTONSBURG — The unemployment rate shot up more than a percent in Floyd County from December to January, although the rate remains 2 percent lower than a year ago.

Preliminary figures released Thursday by the state Office of Employment and Training show that Floyd County’s unemployment rate in January was 10.2 percent, up from 9 percent in December, but well below the 12.2 percent tallied in January 2011.

Trina Allen, who manages Department for Employment Services offices in Floyd and Pike counties, said part of the reason for the jump could attributed to typical seasonal changes. She said her office expects to see unemployment jump from November to April.

“A lot of times, from December to January, there’s a lot of season work in road work and construction that could be the reason for the rate going up,” Allen said. “I would say that’s normal for this time of year.”

Elsewhere in Eastern Kentucky, the picture was much the same, with month-over-month jumps in the jobless rate, but an overall better picture over the long term.

Pike County had the lowest unemployment rate in January, at 8.8 percent, followed by Johnson County (9.8 percent), Martin County (10.7 percent), Knott County (11.9 percent) and Magoffin County (16.8 percent).

Statewide, Woodford County had the lowest jobless rate at 6.9 percent. It was followed by Webster County, 7.2 percent; Fayette County, 7.3 percent; Oldham County, 7.5 percent; Boone County, 7.7 percent; Union County, 7.8 percent; Henderson County, 7.9 percent; Madison and Shelby counties, 8 percent each; and Hopkins County, 8.1 percent.

Fulton County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate — 17.7 percent. It was followed by Magoffin and Menifee counties, 16.8 percent each; Jackson County, 16.1 percent; McCreary County, 14.9 percent; Wolfe County, 14.8 percent; Bell and Clay counties, 14.2 percent each; Lewis County, 14 percent; and Wayne County, 13.9 percent.