For the sixth straight month, unemployment was down in all of the state's metro areas. One of the most significant drops year-over-year was in Decatur where the jobless rate fell from 12-point-two-percent in September 2013 to seven-point-nine-percent last month. The Chicago rate also fell sharply, from eight-point-five-percent a year ago to six-percent last month. The statewide jobless rate is six-point-six-percent, down from nine-point-one-percent a year ago.
