The U.S. Department of Labor says the unemployment rate in New England in July was nearly unchanged as the number of unemployed workers continues to decline. The six-state region's unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, down slightly from 4.8 percent in June. The U.S. rate in July was 5.3 percent. The number of unemployed workers in New England in July was about 371,000, down from 379,000 in June and significantly less than the nearly 454,000 jobless in July 2014.

Unemployment rates in three states were significantly lower than the national rate: 3.6 percent in Vermont, 3.7 percent in New Hampshire and 4.6 percent in Maine. Connecticut was the only New England state with a statistically significant unemployment rate change. It fell to 5.4 percent in July from 5.7 percent in June.

-- Associated Press