The United States added 163,000 nonfarm jobs in July, more than twice the amount it added in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday, but the overall unemployment rate didn't change much, coming in at 8.3 percent, up from June's 8.2 percent. Still, the number beat economists' predictions of 100,000 jobs added. According to the BLS, "Employment rose in professional and business services, food services and drinking places, and manufacturing."

So how does the unemployment rate rise while the economy adds more jobs than it has since February? According to The Associated Press' Christopher Rugaber, "the rate increased because the government uses two surveys: A survey of businesses showed job gains, but a survey of households showed fewer people had jobs. Economists say the business survey is more reliable." The New York Times' Catherine Rampell explains that the rate at which the economy has been adding jobs -- an average of 151,000 a month this year, according to AP -- is barely enough to keep up with the expansion of the workforce. But the 163,000 added in July is a great improvement over the adjusted 64,000 added in June, and the most the economy has added since February, so that's all good news, in spite of the disappointing unemployment rate.

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Adam Martin