Topeka ? The local unemployment rate for February has decreased, according to figures recently released by the Kansas Department of Labor.

The Douglas County jobless rate fell from 5.9 percent in January to 5.6 percent in February, the report said.

Last week, the Labor Department reported that the statewide rate decreased from 7.2 percent in January to 6.8 percent in February. At the time, however, local figures were unavailable.

The unemployment rate dropped in all five metropolitan statistical areas; from 7.4 percent to 7 percent in Topeka; from 8.6 percent to 8.1 percent in Wichita; from 7.5 percent to 7.3 percent in Kansas City; and from 5.6 percent to 5.2 percent in Manattan.