Maine’s unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in November, a significant decrease from the year before, according to new data from the Maine Department of Labor.

In November, there were about 40,200 people in Maine (that’s 5.7 percent of 702,353, Maine’s total civilian workforce) who were unemployed and actively looking for work. That’s a decrease of roughly 5,400 unemployed people counted in November 2013, when the state’s unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, according to labor department data.

The preliminary estimate for the number of Maine’s non-farm payroll jobs in November was 609,600, an increase of 6,900 jobs from November 2013. The jobless rate in October was 5.8 percent.

November’s unemployment rate in Maine’s counties ranged from 4.1 percent in Cumberland County to 8.1 percent in Piscataquis County.

The U.S. unemployment rate for November was 5.8 percent.

Compared to its New England neighbors, Maine’s rate was about average. Only two New England states had lower rates: New Hampshire at 4.1 percent and Vermont at 4.3 percent. Massachusetts’ rate was 5.8 percent, Connecticut’s 6.5 percent and Rhode Island’s 7.1 percent.

Monthly unemployment figures are preliminary estimates and subject to future revisions as more detailed data is collected and analyzed. The Maine labor department expects to replace preliminary unemployment estimates from October 2013 to September 2014 with more concrete date in March 2015.