Topeka ? The state unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in nearly four years, the Kansas Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.9 percent for September, a decrease from 6.2 percent in August and 6.7 percent in September 2011. It is the first time the rate has fallen under 6 percent since December 2008.

“The number of people who returned to work in September is very encouraging and the decreasing unemployment rate is a very positive sign for Kansans,” said Interim Labor Secretary Lana Gordon.

Tyler Tenbrink, a Labor Department economist, said the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in 45 months. “This improvement was caused by approximately 5,000 people moving from unemployed to employed over the month,” Tenbrink said.