The unemployment rate for Northumberland County continues to drop, according to the latest figures from the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).
On Wednesday, DLI reported the February unemployment rate was 8 percent, compared to January's 8.4 percent, dropping another .4 percent.
Since The News-Item started reported the figures monthly in December 2008, the county has only been at 8 percent one other time, which was in March 2011.
The county unemployment rate is between the national rate of 8.3 percent and the state rate of 7.6 percent.
The most recent Northumberland County rate is also lower than it was a year ago at 8.4 percent, and significantly lower than it was two years ago at 10.2 percent.
Jobless rates in neighboring counties are Montour, 5.4 percent; Juniata. 6.7 percent; Lycoming, 6.8 percent; Dauphin, 7.1 percent; Union, 7.1 percent; Snyder, 7.3 percent; Perry, 7.4 percent; Columbia, 7.7 percent; and Schuylkill, 8.5 percent.
Of those nine counties, Juniata had the largest change, decreasing .7 percent.
Bradford County, at 5.1 percent, has the lowest jobless rate in Pennsylvania. Cameron County, at 10.7 percent, has the highest.
There are only two counties in the state at or above a rate of 10 percent.