RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in September for the third straight month, staying at 4.1 percent.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell by one percentage point over the past year, one of the best improvements in the country. The agency says North Carolina also added more than 61,000 jobs over the past year.

The U.S. jobless rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2 percent.