Unemployment Rate Fell Nationally AND Locally

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years; Central Virginia shared in the success with the rate falling throughout Central Virginia in August. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show all but two localities in the region had unemployment rates below the national average. Bedford city and Nelson County were the only two areas with rates lower than the statewide rate of 5.8 percent; According to the Virginia Employment Commission, the unemployment rates did not increase anywhere in the Lynchburg-area.