Dallas County’s unemployment rate dropped more than one point from September to October and now stands at 8.6 percent.

That’s down from September’s rate of 9.8 percent and last year’s rate of 10.1 percent.

Statewide, unemployment fell to 5.9 percent.

“More jobs are being created, Alabama’s unemployment rate continues to drop and our economy is growing,” Gov. Robert Bentley said in a press release. “The wage and salary employment is at its highest level for the year. It has not been this high in almost seven years. We are one step closer to full employment, and my effort to create jobs will continue until every Alabamian who wants a job has an opportunity to have one.”

Wage and salary employment increased in October by 7,200 to 1,965,000.

Monthly gains were seen in the government sector, the professional and business services sector, and the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, among others.

Over the year, wage and salary employment increased by 21,100, with gains in the leisure and hospitality sector, the education and health services sector and the professional and business services sector, among others.

The last time wage and salary employment was at this level or above was in November 2008, when it was 1,970,900.

“Not only are we seeing the highest wage and salary employment numbers of the year, we’ve also surpassed 2015 growth expectation by nearly 8,000 jobs,” Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington said. “Economists forecasted wage and salary growth of 33,800, and we’ve already seen growth of 41,700 through October alone. We still have two months to go, and those are traditionally strong due to holiday hiring. The counties continue to show improvement, as well. All 67 counties experienced decreases in their unemployment rates over the month, and only one county registered an increase over the year.”

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 4 percent, Lee County at 4.5 percent, and Elmore and Cullman Counties at 4.8 percent.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 13.3 percent, Lowndes County at 11 percent and Clarke County at 10.6 percent.