The unemployment rate is on the decline statewide as more Alabamians are getting back to work.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the state’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in July, which is down from 6 percent in June. It’s also lower than July 2015’s rate of 6.1 percent.

“We continue to see decreases in Alabama’s unemployment rate, and increases in both of our employment measure over the year, which is a testament to the strong economic development efforts we have prioritized,” Bentley said. “We haven’t seen an unemployment rate this low in eight years. Not only did the rate decrease since last month, there are also nearly 28,000 more people working this year than there were last year.”

Dallas County’s unemployment rate is also on the decline. It dropped from 11.3 percent in June to 10.2 percent in July. In June, 1,809 people in Dallas County were out of work, but that number dropped 200 to 1,609 in July. This year’s July number is also much lower than July 2015’s 11.4 percent unemployment rate.

Statewide the number of unemployed people is as low as its been since 2008. In July, 123,095 people were counted as unemployed, an eight-year low.

“July registered the fewest number of unemployed people since 2008 and the good news also trickled down to the counties this month as well,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary. “Every county in Alabama saw its rate decrease over the month and 66 of 67 counties saw their rates decrease over the year, some by more than two percentage points. This is excellent news.”

Wilcox County continues to lead the state with the highest unemployment rate at 14.3 percent. Perry County has a 12.1 percent unemployment rate and Clarke County’s is 11.4 percent.

The counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at 4.2 percent, Elmore County at 4.7 percent and Baldwin County at 4.8 percent.

Selma remains listed as the major city with the highest unemployment rate at 11.4 percent.