Effingham County’s unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent for October, according to the state Department of Labor.

Unemployment was at 6.1 percent for September and stood at 6.7 percent in October 2013.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced that metro Savannah’s unemployment rate for October was 6.7 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was 7.3 percent.

The rate fell as metro Savannah added 1,200 jobs in October. The total number of jobs increased to 166,700, up from 165,500, or 0.7 percent, from September. Much of the job gain came in education and health services, professional and business services, manufacturing, and the federal government.

There was also an over-the-year gain of 3,300 jobs, or 2 percent, from 163,400 in October 2013. The gains came in transportation and warehousing, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and education and health services, along with mining, logging and construction.

Also, there were 933 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 72, or 8.4 percent, from 861 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in administrative and support services, manufacturing, and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were down by 312, or 25.1 percent from 1,245 filed in October 2013.

The unemployment rate in the Coastal Georgia region for October was 7.1 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 7.5 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was 8 percent.

The rate fell as more people went to work. The number of employed residents in the region rose by 1,963 to 296,185, up from 294,222 in September.

There were 1,577 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 58, or 3.8 percent, from 1,519 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in administrative and support services and manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 1,020, or 39.3 percent, from 2,597 filed in October 2013.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. It was 7.8 percent in October 2013. Georgia added 33,800 new jobs in October and 96,000 since October 2013, pushing its job total to 4,166,400, the largest number since May of 2008.