Running contrary to the rest of Texas, unemployment rate for Freestone county dropped slightly in December, figures just released by Texas Workforce Commission show.

The unemployment rate in Freestone dropped to 6.3 percent last month, from 6.4 percent in November, the second consecutive month in which the number has fallen.

In October, the rate was 6.7 percent.

Statewide, unemployment is pegged at 8.3 percent, up from eight percent a month earlier.

The United States jobless rate was 10 percent for December.

“Texas continues to feel the effects of this serious national recession with unemployment in our state now at 8.3 percent,” TWC chairman Tom Pauken says. “Nonetheless, unemployment in Texas remains well below the national level.”

December figures show that out of a workforce of 10,851 in Freestone county, 686 workers were without jobs.

In November, the county had a workforce of 10,990 with 700 persons jobless.

The unemployment rate for Freestone county is the lowest in the area.

Highest unemployment in the area is 9.4 percent in Anderson county, which shows 2,047 persons jobless out of a workforce of 21,796.

The Anderson county jobless rate for December is higher than the 8.9 percent posted for November and matches its highest level for all of 2009.

Close to the Freestone county is the 6.8 percent rate for Limestone county in December. Out of a workforce of 11,278, there are 767 persons without jobs.

The unemployment rate in Limestone county for November was 6.9 percent.

Leon county posts a 7.9 percent December unemployment rate, up from 7.8 percent a month earlier. Out of 8,156 workers, 647 are jobless.

Navarro county comes in at 8.2 percent for December, unchanged from a month earlier. The county has a total labor force of 21,941, of which 1,807 workers are unemployed.

Throughout Texas, there were 963,016 workers unemployed in December, a number that is slightly higher than a month earlier.

Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area experienced the lowest unemployment rate in the state in December, 5.3 percent, followed by Lubbock MSA and Midland MSA, both with 5.4 percent.

December unemployment in McAllen- Edinburg-Mission was 11.7 percent.