(LANSING) – Seasonally adjusted jobless rates went down from August to September around Southern Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget says St. Joseph County’s unemployment dropped from 5.3% to 4.4%.

Cass County saw a decrease in unemployment from 5.5% to 4.6%, while Hillsdale County went from 5.3% to 4.4%. Branch County watched their unemployment go from 4.5% to 3.8%.

Statewide the unemployment rate went down from 4.5% to 4.2%.

Michigan labor market areas demonstrated expected unemployment rate reductions during September, according to Wayne Rourke, Labor Market Information Director for the Michigan Center For Data And Analytics. He says regional payroll job gains largely reflected seasonal hiring in education-related industries, due to the start of the academic year.

The lowest unemployment rate for September in Michigan was Livingston County at 3%. The largest was Oscoda County which was 7.2%.