Unemployment Down in Almost All States over 2011

More than half see less unemployment since September

Unemployment rates declined in almost all states in October from a year earlier, according to Labor Department data released on Tuesday, and the rates in more than half the states dropped from September.

Altogether, 42 states and the District of Columbia registered decreases from a year earlier, while eight said their rates rose. From the previous month, rates dropped in 37 states and rose in seven.