State labor officials say metro Atlanta's unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent in March.

That is down four-tenths of a percentage point from 8.3 percent in February.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced the new rate early Thursday morning. State labor officials say the rate declined because of an increase in the number of jobs and fewer new layoffs.

Metro Athens had the state's lowest jobless rate at 5.9 percent.

The Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 10.4 percent.

The local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.

Tags: Georgia Department of Labor, jobless rate, Atlanta unemployment, unemployment rate