HARTFORD, Conn. — Federal labor officials say the unemployment rate in New England held steady in September at 4.6 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Tuesday the rate was unchanged from August. The national jobless rate is 5.1 percent.

Three New England states had jobless rates in September significantly different from the U.S rate: New Hampshire, at 3.4 percent, Vermont at 3.7 percent and Maine at 4.4 percent.

Unemployment rates in the other states were close to the U.S. rate.

Over the year, all six New England states posted significant declines in the unemployment rate. The largest, 1.8 percentage points, was in Rhode Island, followed by Maine, which was down 1.2 points and Connecticut, which was 1.1 points lower.

During the recession, joblessness in Rhode Island was among the highest in the nation.