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Texas Unemployment Drops To 4.4 Percent In January

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The unemployment rate in Texas fell to 4.4 percent in January, marking the fifth straight month of declines.

The Texas Workforce Commission said on Friday that compares to a December jobless rate of 4.6 percent.

The state added 20,100 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in January for a total increase of 392,900 jobs over the year.

The greatest gains seen in January were in the industry consisting of trade, transportation and utilities.

Gov. Greg Abbott says that the job numbers are a "testament" of the strength of Texas' economy, but added there is more work to do.

The Midland area had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.6 percent while the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the state's highest unemployment rate, at 8.3 percent.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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