Jobless rates fell in 11 US states, hit record lows in 2

WASHINGTON – Unemployment rates fell to record lows in Idaho and Tennessee in September, and dropped in 9 other states.

The Labor Department's report on state unemployment also showed the extent of Hurricane Irma's damage in Florida, which lost 127,400 jobs that month, or about 1.5 percent of total jobs in the state. Most of those losses were likely temporary.

Steady hiring has driven down unemployment in most states in the past year. Nationwide, the rate fell to 4.1 percent in October, a 17-year low. That is down from 4.8 percent a year earlier.

The jobless rate dropped to 2.8 percent in Idaho from 2.9 percent in the previous month. Tennessee's rate fell sharply, to 3.3 percent to 3 percent. Both figures are the lowest on records dating back to 1976.