The January unemployment numbers released last week brought good news for both Washington Parish and the state.

The data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the parish unemployment rate was at 6.9 percent in January, down more than 3 points from the 10 percent seen at the same time last year.

December’s jobless rate was 6.5 percent.

The number of people unemployed in the parish was at 1,021 for January, 962 for February and 1,509 for the previous January.

Louisiana’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was at 5.1 percent in January, down more than 2 points from the 7.3 percent seen in January 2013.

But that was up slightly from December’s 4.7 percent.

The big news came in the number of people employed statewide, with a record-setting 1,990,531 seen. That number was 25,787 higher than in January 2013.

The number of people unemployed stood at 102,476, 29,310 fewer than the same time the year before.

At 4.9 percent in January, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was the lowest it had been since September 2008.

It was also the lowest in the 17-state Southern region, which had an average unemployment rate of 6.2 percent.

Additionally, each parish saw over-the-year improvement in its not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.

Gov. Bobby Jindal released a statement on the positive employment report, saying it “further validates the fact that Louisiana’s economy is improving at one of the fastest rates in the nation.”

“We are thrilled that our hard work overhauling our ethics code, revamping the workforce training system, cutting taxes and improving our education system has paid off,” he said. “Louisiana now has more jobs, more people, and higher incomes than any point in our state’s history and our future is bright.”