New England Unemployment Rate Unchanged in September

BOSTON — The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released New England unemployment numbers for September, gleaned from data supplied by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program.

The New England unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6% in September, lower than the national rate of 5.1%. One year ago, the New England jobless rate was 5.7%. Three New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from the U.S. rate of 5.1% — New Hampshire (3.4%), Vermont (3.7%), and Maine (4.4%).

Over the past year, all six New England states recorded statistically significant unemployment-rate decreases, with declines ranging from 1.8% in Rhode Island to 0.5% in Vermont. In fact, Rhode Island posted the largest jobless-rate decline nationwide between September 2014 and September 2015.