The preliminary unemployment rate in metro Gainesville declined to 6.6 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday.

That is a decline from the unemployment rate of 6.7 percent in September. The rate was 7.9 percent last October.

The rate declined in September because of an increase of 300 new jobs in metro Gainesville. There were 78,800 jobs in October, up four-tenths of a percentage point, from 78,500 in September. The growth came mostly in the service-related industries, including retail trade, transportation and warehousing, and local government. In one year’s time, jobs were up in metro Gainesville by 3,100, or 4.1 percent, from 75,700 in October 2011.     

Metro Athens continued to have the lowest area jobless rate at 6.2 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.7 percent in October, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 9.0 percent in September. The jobless rate was 9.7 percent in October a year ago.

Statewide, there were 3,971,700 jobs in October, up 36,000, or nine-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,935,700 in September. Over the year, Georgia gained 68,000 jobs, or 1.7 percent, from 3,903,700 in October 2011.

The area jobless rates are not seasonally adjusted.