ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Hinesville area decreased to 8.5 percent in April, down one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 8.6 percent in March. The jobless rate in the Hinesville area in April a year ago was 8.1 percent.

The rate decreased because there were 200 new jobs added in the metro Hinesville area in April, mostly in the service-related industries and with the federal government.

The lowest rate, at 7.1 percent, was recorded in metro Athens, while the highest, at 11.5 percent, was in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region around Dublin.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 9.9 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point, from a revised 10 percent in March. The state’s jobless rate was 10.1 percent in April a year ago. The last time the state’s rate was below 10 percent was in June 2009, when it was 9.8 percent.

April marked the 43rd consecutive month that Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9 percent. However, the last time the Georgia rate dropped over the month, while the U.S. rate increased was April of last year.

Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.