Photo by photo_secessionist.

Buoyed by D.C.’s historically high 12 percent rate, the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area‘s unemployment figure rose to 6.9 percent in January 2010, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. That’s a massive increase from the 5.4 percent rate recorded in January 2009. It’s barely been a month since many jurisdictions surrounding D.C. saw unemployment figures hovering below the national average — but this new regional figure certainly has us interested in seeing how the job market will fluctuate in the coming months.

Of course, the national picture is similarly bleak, and the Washington metro region is obviously not the only MSA struggling with joblessness. According to BLS, unemployment rates in 363 of the 372 metropolitan areas measured in January 2010 were higher than one year earlier. On the bright side, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. region recorded the second-lowest unemployment rate among the 49 MSAs with a population of 1 million or more, behind only Oklahoma City, Okla.

The national unemployment rate in January, after seasonal adjustments, was 9.7 percent.