BIDDEFORD — The official unemployment statistics for Maine have been released and show that fewer people were out of work here in September than in August.

According to information complied by the New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maine’s unemployment rate for September 2017 stood at 3.7 percent, down slightly from 3.8 percent in August. That’s also a decline from September 2016, when Maine’s unemployment rate was 4 percent. 

According to Crystal Orjiako, an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall unemployment rate for New England states in September was 3.9 percent, up from 3.8 percent in September 2016.    

Orjiako said that several New England states Vermont (2.9 percent) and New Hampshire (2.7) enjoyed the lowest jobless rates in the region. Both Vermont and New Hampshire are among the 15 states with the lowest unemployment in the nation.

“Over the month, Massachusetts (-0.3 percentage point), Connecticut (-0.2 point), and Vermont (-0.1 point) were the only New England states that had significant over-the-month jobless rate changes,” she said.

Rhode Island was the only New England state with a significant unemployment rate change, with a -1.1 percentage point decrease from September 2016 statistics.

Data to compile official state unemployment rates is supplied by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program which produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor force data for Census regions and divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many cities, by place of residence.   

Among the 50 states, North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in September at 2.4 percent, while Alaska had the highest jobless rate at 7.2 percent.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.