Covington County’s unemployment rate jumped back above 8 percent for October, officials said Friday.

Ranking released Friday show that Covington County has the 37th highest unemployment rate in the state, sitting at 8.2 percent.

The number of claims increased from 1,315 in September to 1.387 in October, increasing the county’s rate from 7.8 percent to 8.2 percent.

Comparatively, the state’s preliminary October unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from the state’s revised rate of 8.2 percent in September.

The October 2012 rate represents 175,013 unemployed persons, down from 177,632 last month and 186,251 in October 2011.

“These numbers show more Alabamians have jobs, and that’s an encouraging sign we’re headed in the right direction,” Gov. Robert Bentley said.