Virginia's unemployment rate fell slightly in October after three months of increases as the state added 14,000 jobs over the month.

The U.S. Labor Department says the state's seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate in October was 6.4 percent. That's down from 6.5
percent in September and 6.7 percent a year ago.

The rate had been decreasing since peaking at 7.2 percent from
December 2009 to February 2010, but had risen slightly from July
through September this year.

Virginia's rate is still below the national average, which fell slightly to 9 percent in October. Unemployment rates fell in three-quarters of U.S. states last month, a sign that many parts of the country are experiencing modest job gains.

Nationwide, employers added a modest gain of 80,000 jobs.

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