Local government hiring picks up

After laying off workers through most of the recovery, city and county governments are adding jobs at the fastest pace in five years, providing support for the economy's overall payroll gains.

The stronger economic growth is allowing additional police office and firefigher hires, as well as the reopening of shuttering parks and work on needed street repairs, according to USA Today.

Local governments added 48,000 jobs from February through May, up from 30,000 for all of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their total payrolls remain nearly 500,000 below a peak of 14.6 million in December 2008 after municipalities aggressively slashed staff through 2012.

Read more from USA Today.