Morgan County’s unemployment rate experienced a steep decline in September, according to data released from the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

The current jobless rate stands at 7 percent, a decrease of 1.1 percent from August 2012 and 1.7 percent decline from September 2011. That represents 3,994 unemployed workers, a decrease of more than 600 from last month and 1,000 from a year ago.

However, the number of employed workers only grew by almost 500 workers. The rest of the difference is represented by a decline in the overall workforce by 101.

The Decatur Metropolitan Area also saw its unemployment rate fall from 8.2 percent in August to 7.3 percent in September. That’s also a steep decline from a 9 percent unemployment rate a year ago.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 8.5 percent in August to 8.3 percent in September. While more workers were unemployed in September, the state workforce also shrank by more than 3,400 workers.

The state is still behind the national unemployment rate of 7.8 percent, even though the national workforce grew last month.