The Illinois Department of Employment Security has released new figures showing unemployment rates have improved. The Iroquois County rate in September came in at 5.1%...down two-tenths of a percent from a year ago. Vermilion County's jobless rate improved last month too. It was 6.4%...down from 6.7.

The Danville-Vermilion County area was ranked second among Illinois metropolitan areas which saw the biggest job gains.

The last time Vermilion County's jobless rate was equal to or lower than last month's 6.4 percent rate was in September of 2007 when it was 6.3 percent.

The report also shows the unemployment rate for Champaign County dropped from 5.4 to 4.4 percent. Champaign County was ranked number one in Illinois last month for job gains among Illinois' metropolitan areas.

The state's unemployment rate fell to 5.1% last month. But Illinois businesses lost jobs in eight metro areas. There's been weak employment growth since January.

94.1 WGFA