Employers in the Spokane-Spokane Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area added 2,500 nonfarm jobs during the 12 months ending in April, preliminary estimates from the Washington state Employment Security Department show.

Total employment for the MSA, which includes Spokane and Stevens counties, reached 270,400 jobs in April, up 3,700 jobs from March.

The unemployment rate for the area was 3.9% in April, the same rate as the year-earlier month. In March, the unemployment rate was 4.6%.

Washington state’s unemployment rate was 4.2% in April, up slightly from the year-earlier rate of 4.1%.