New England’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in October, down from 7.1 percent a year ago, as the number of people employed in the region increased by 174,900, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Rhode Island, which has struggled with the highest unemployment rate in the region, posted the biggest unemployment rate decline over the year of 2 percentage points. Meanwhile, Connecticut and Massachusetts posted decreases of 1.2 percentage points. Connecticut’s October unemployment rate stood at 6.4 percent.
Vermont, which has the smallest labor force in New England, continues to have the lowest unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent.
The national unemployment rate in October was 5.8 percent.