Covington County’s unemployment remained steady in August at 8.7 percent after dropping to an 18-month low in July.

The county’s civilian workforce is 16,545 people, with 1,443 of those unemployed.

Department of Industrial Relations spokesperson Tara Hutchison said the last time Covington County was at or below 8.7 percent was in January 2009 when it was 8.5 percent. The month prior the unemployment rate was 6.6 percent.

Statewide unemployment dropped to 9.2 percent, which is down from 9.7 percent recorded in July.

The comparable rate for August 2009 was 10.6 percent.

“Today’s news is certainly good news,” Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said Friday. “This marks the first time in nearly two years that Alabama’s unemployment rate has been below the national average. That is most definitely a sign that Alabama’s economy is slowly but surely recovering from this economic recession.”

The counties with the lowest unemployment rates were: Shelby at 6.8 percent, Madison at 7.1 percent and Coffee at 7.3 percent.

The counties with the highest unemployment rates were: Wilcox at 21.3 percent, Greene at 18.8 percent, and Dallas at 17.8 percent.