COLUMBUS (AP) - Ohio's unemployment rate dropped slightly last month to its lowest in four years, as voters in the presidential battleground state got their last update on job figures before the election.
The unemployment rate was 7 percent in September, after three consecutive months of holding steady at 7.2 percent, according to data released today from the state Department of Job and Family Services. It's the lowest rate since September 2008, when the rate was also 7 percent.
The number of unemployed Ohio workers fell by about 7,000 from August to 406,000 last month.
The state's unemployment rate, which remains below the national rate of 7.8 percent, declined even as companies shed 12,800 jobs compared with August.