SACRAMENTO, Calif. — (AP) — California's unemployment rate continued to climb in May. Federal statistics released Friday showed the nation's most populous state had a rate of 16.3% last month, up from 15.5% in April and the highest since the Great Depression.

Nationally, 38 states saw their unemployment rates decline last month as officials loosened their stay-at-home orders for the coronavirus.

California has lost more than 2.2 million jobs since May of last year, more than any other state. The state has paid more than $30 billion in unemployment benefits since the start of the pandemic.