The monthly tally of unemployed has St. Lawrence County’s rate up last month, but the picture around the North Country is mixed.

The unemployment rate in St. Lawrence County in May was measured by the state Labor Department at 10. 4 percent, up from 10.1 percent in April and higher than the 10.0 percent rate recorded in May last year.

To our east, in Franklin County, the rate was steady from April to May at 9.7 percent, still well above the 8.8 percent rate in May 2011.

To our west, in Jefferson County, the unemployment rate dropped from 10.0 percent in April to 9.6 percent in May, according to the DOL, and well above last May’s 9.1 percent.

After St. Lawrence County, the only upstate county with a higher unemployment rate for May was Fulton County, at 10.8 percent.

The overall rate for the state rose from 8.1 percent in April to 8.6 percent in May, compared with the 7.8 percent rate recorded in May 2011.