Unemployment continues to drop across Texas.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state dipped to 6.8 percent for September 2012, down from August’s 7.1 percent, and down from September 2011’s 7.9 percent.

The highest unemployment rate in the state is in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area at 10.5 percent, down from August’s 11.7 percent. The lowest rate for a Metropolitan Statistical Area is Midland at 3.3 percent, down from August’s 3.8 percent.

The September 2012 unemployment rate dropped in Lubbock to 5.0 percent, down from August’s 5.8 percent, and down further from September 2011’s 6.3 percent.

Some sectors showed improvement in the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area, adding 300 new jobs in educational and health services, and 300 new jobs in the government sector, with 200 in local government and 100 in state government.

The unemployment rate for the South Plains overall is at 5.1 percent, down from August 2012’s 5.9 percent, and down further from September 2011’s 6.5 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the South Plains is in Dickens County at 9 percent, down from August’s 9.5 percent. The lowest rate in the South Plains is in Yoakum County at 3.2 percent.

Odessa’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent for September, down from August’s 4.5 percent, and San Angelo’s rate dropped to 4.8 percent from August’s 5.5 percent.

Amarillo’s rate is at 4.4 percent for September, down from August’s 5.1 percent, and Abilene’s rate declined to 5 percent, down from August’s 5.7 percent.

The unemployment rate in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area dropped to 6.3 percent in September 2012, down from August’s 6.9 percent, and far down from September 2011’s 7.8 percent.

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA’s rate is at 6.3 percent, down from August’s 7 percent, and the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area is at 5.3 percent, down from August’s 5.9 percent and down further from September 2011’s 7 percent.

“We saw encouraging signs in our state’s labor market in September and a decrease in the unemployment rate last month,” said Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar. “Texas continues to add jobs and we now have a record number of people employed in our state.”

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