The unemployment rate in Dallas County’s saw a  2.1 percent decrease from July to August.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, Dallas County’s rate fell from 9.8 percent in July to 7.7 percent in August. Last year, the county had a 10.3 percent rate for August.

Among the 67 counties in Alabama, Dallas County ranks fourth for unemployment in August. Wilcox County’s rate of 11.3 percent is the highest in the state. Clarke County ranks second with 8.6 percent, and Greene County follows with 7.8 percent. Perry County is tied with Dallas County at 7.7 percent.

Last year, Dallas County ranked sixth in the state for highest unemployment with a 9.4 percent rate in August.

Dallas County’s civilian labor force is made up of 15,274 people. A total of 14,094 were employed in August, while 1,180 were unemployed.

With a rate of 8.3 percent, Selma has the highest rate for city areas in the state.

The state unemployment rate for August is 4.2 percent, which is down from 4.5 percent in July and 5.9 percent in August 2016. The  U.S. rate for August is 4.4 percent.

“After hovering near the national unemployment rate for several months, Alabama’s rate has dropped below it for the first time in many years,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “This is a milestone we’ve been working toward for some time.”

The last time the state’s rate dropped below the national rate was in October 2013.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, the state of Alabama registered the highest drop in the nation for the month of August.

“The news that Alabama experienced the largest rate drop in the country is most welcome,” said Fitzgerald Washington, secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor.

The department also announced Friday the  number of unemployed people in the state is the lowest it has been in a decade, which is 90,913. Counties with the lowest rates are Shelby with 3.2 percent, Cullman with 3.6 percent and Madison and Marshall with 3.7 percent.