Chilton County’s unemployment rate has dropped 1.3 percent over the past year.

The preliminary rate for August was 7.7 percent, the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations announced Friday.

Chilton County’s jobless rate was 9 percent in August 2011 and was 8.2 percent in July.

The state’s rate increased from 8.3 percent in July to 8.5 percent in August, but the rate is still lower than the 9.1 percent in August 2011.

“While the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased over the previous month, we saw fewer unemployment compensation claims filed during the same time period and continued to see record numbers of job openings posted on Joblink,” Tom Surtees, director of state industrial relations, said in a release. “Also, 63 of 67 counties saw their unemployment rates drop or remain the same this month. These are some positive signs in spite of the increase in the seasonally adjusted rate.”

August 2012 saw 19,327 new unemployment compensation claims, compared to 25,031 in 2011, 27,683 in 2010, 31,111 in 2009, and 20,766 in 2008. The pre-recession number of claims in August 2007 was 17,346.

www.joblink.alabama.gov, the state’s free online jobs database, continued to experience record numbers of available job openings, reaching 14,546 in August.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 5.8 percent, Coffee County at 7.1 percent, Blount County at 7.2 percent, Limestone County at 7.2 percent and Madison County at 7.2 percent.

Chilton is tied with Autauga County for the 10th lowest unemployment rate in the state.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 19.2 percent, Bullock County at 17.1 percent and Dallas County at 16.6 percent.