U.S. hiring topped expectations in February, as the labor market added 273,000 jobs, before the wide-spreading coronavirus began to affect the economy.

Unemployment ticked down slightly to 3.5 percent, returning to a half-century low, the Labor Department said Friday. Average hourly earnings rose by 9 cents over the past year to $28.52

The payroll number surged past the estimate of 175,000 from economists surveyed by Refinitiv, who also saw the unemployment rate holding steady from January's 3.6 percent.

It marks the 113th month of straight gains.