Despite major economic woes, Marengo County’s jobless rate fell .3 percent, pushing back an increase for the past two months.

“The number of employed Alabamians increased by 3200 from July to August, while there were over 3800 fewer unemployed,” Tom Surtees, Director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, said.

Countywide 26 residents found work in August but the county’s jobless rate of 6.7 percent is still well above the statewide average of 4.9 percent and is higher than the 5.1 percent rate posted in August 2007.

The national unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in August, compared to 5.7 percent in July.

Jobless rates across the Black Belt remained fairly steady. Clarke County posted a jobless rate of 9.6 percent for the second consecutive month. Hale County’s rate dropped a full percent from 7.5 in July to 6.5 in August. Greene County followed suit, shedding .9 percent to settle at 6.6 percent. Wilcox leads the area with the second highest jobless rate in the state at 13.4 percent, an increase of .1 percent from July.