The Massachusetts unemployment rate that soared during the coronavirus pandemic fell to 16.1 percent in July, yet remains the highest in the nation, according to numbers released Friday by state and federal labor officials.

The July rate is down 1.6 percentage points from the adjusted June rate of 17.7 percent, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The national unemployment rate in July was 10.2 percent. The Massachusetts unemployment rate in July 2019 was 2.9 percent.

Massachusetts added more than 72,000 jobs last month after adding nearly 95,000 in June as the state continues to recover from the economic shutdown prompted by the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ preliminary job estimates.

Nearly half of those job gains were in the leisure and hospitality section, hit particularly hard during the pandemic. That sector gained 35,300 jobs, or a growth of 18.9 percent, during July after losing 156,100 jobs, or over 41 percent of the sector, in the weeks following the pandemic’s arrival in Massachusetts.

The trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; and government sectors also had significant job gains, although all sectors are still at a deficit. Jobs in trade, transportation and utilities are still 12.8 percent below pre-pandemic levels; education and health services jobs are still 9.6 percent below pre-pandemic levels; and government sector jobs are still 6.2 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

The construction industry also gained 1,900 jobs, a 1.4 percent jump, in July. The industry has lost 19,500 jobs, or 12 percent) since the start of the year.