RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina’s unemployment rate has now declined every month for the past year, with September’s jobless figure falling to 4.2%, the state Commerce Department announced Friday.

The seasonally adjusted rate, which compares to 4.3% unemployment during August, comes as the number of additional employed workers again outpaced the additional number of people in the state’s labor force.

The number of people employed grew in September by 15,500 to 4.81 million, while those working or looking for work increased by over 10,400 to 5.02 million, the department news release said.

The national rate last month was 4.8%.

The last time North Carolina’s rate increased was in September 2020 at 7.3%. A 12-month streak of lower rates began when the October 2020 rate fell to 6.8%.

The rate had soared from 3.5% in early 2020 to 13.5% that spring amid COVID-19 lockdowns and commerce restrictions.

Other data collected through monthly worksite surveys showed seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment increasing last month by 3,700 to over 4.52 million, the department said.