Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The unemployment rate in the Rochester area has now been below 2-percent for three straight months.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development reports the jobless rate for Olmsted County last month was unchanged from October at 1.8-percent. The rate was 1.9-percent in September.

It marked the first time the unemployment rate in the Rochester area has stayed below 2-percent for three consecutive months since 1998 when the jobless rate dropped to a record low of 1.4-percent and was under 2-percent for 9 consecutive months.

For the first time in a long time, Olmsted County did not have the lowest rate in the region. In November, Houston County reported a jobless rate of 1.7-percent, while the highest rate was found in Freeborn County at only 2.6-percent.

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