While Alabama’s unemployment numbers improved slightly in June, Chilton County’s jobless rate rose back to more than 10 percent.

The county’s unemployment rate for June 2010 rose to 10.1 percent, up from 9.7 percent in May. That figure is almost as high as June 2009, when unemployment stood at 10.2 percent.

The state as a whole did have some good news though — June marked the first time since August 2007 that the current month’s rate was not higher than the same month the previous year.

June’s statewide job rate dropped to 10.3 percent in June, down from May’s revised rate of 10.7 percent. The unemployment rate is June 2009 was also 10.3 percent.

“This is the first significant drop in our unemployment rate that we’ve seen for some time,” said Tom Surtees, director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. “We are certainly glad to see it. However, the more than 200,000 unemployed Alabamians probably don’t feel this way. I’d like to encourage those who are unemployed to visit one of our Career Centers across the state to receive assistance in finding a new job or receiving technical or educational training.”

Jobs lost in June were mainly seasonal jobs in government, education and health services.

The counties with the lowest unemployment were Shelby at 7.7 percent, Madison at 7.9 percent and Coffee at 8.1 percent. The counties with the highest unemployment were Wilcox at 23.6 percent, Dallas at 18.5 percent and Perry at 18.3 percent.