The New England unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent in October, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

The region’s jobless rate declined from a year ago, when it was 5.6 percent. The national jobless rate was essentially unchanged from September at 5 percent and was 0.7 percent lower than in October 2014.

In October, three of the six New England states had jobless rates that were significantly different from that of the nation. New Hampshire (3.3 percent), Vermont (3.7 percent) and Maine (4.3 percent) had significantly lower unemployment rates and were among 20 states in the country to do so. The remaining New England states were among the 18 states that had unemployment rates not appreciably different from that of the nation. Twelve states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates measurably higher than the national average.

Among the nine geographic divisions, the East South Central and Pacific had the highest jobless rates in October, 5.6 percent each. The West North Central division had the lowest jobless rate at 4 percent. All divisions except the Mountain had statistically significant rate declines from a year earlier. The largest of these decreases occurred in the Pacific (down 1.3 percent).