The state continued to see modest job growth in September, with higher employment than last year in almost every private industry outside of government, the Department of Labor reported Friday.

The state’s jobless rate declined to 4.9 percent last month, down from 5.1 percent in August and 5.4 percent in September 2004. Seasonal factors probably were key to the month-to-month decline, because students typically stop actively looking for work when high school and college classes resume in the fall.

In each of the state’s four major metropolitan areas – Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence and the state’s portion of the Kansas City area – unemployment was lower in September than in both August and September 2004.

In the Lawrence area, which covers all of Douglas County, jobs rose by 1,600 for the year, to 54,100 nonfarm jobs, the department said. Increases were seen in both service-providing and goods-producing industries.

The Lawrence area’s unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in September, down from 4.1 percent the prior year. Employment was 61,900 and unemployment stood at 2,400.