ATLANTA -- Georgia labor officials say the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 9 percent in September, which is down from 9.2 percent in August.
    
The Georgia Department of Labor announced the figures early Thursday morning.
    
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement that the rate declined because Georgia had the fewest new claims for unemployment insurance benefits in five years, since before the start of the Great Recession.
    
Butler also said there are continuing signs of improvement in the state's manufacturing industry. The number of manufacturing jobs from August to September grew 1,900.

Associated Press