AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette says Maine’s unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 7.4 percent in October.

October’s preliminary rate, down slightly from 7.6 percent in September, compares to New England’s overall jobless rate for the month, 7.4 percent.

The share of Maine’s population that’s employed remained well above the national average in October. It was the 61st consecutive month Maine had a higher employment to population ratio than the nation.

October’s figures are adjusted to reflect seasonal fluctuations in the labor market.