In numbers released today by the state's Agency for Work Force Innovation (AWI), Citrus County's unemployment rate for April went from 11.6 percent in March to 11.0 percent in April.

That compares to an unemployment rate in April 2010 of 12.2 percent.

Other surrounding counties also show a slight improvement. Levy County's unemployment rate for April is listed as 10.3 percent, compared to April's 10.8. In April 2010, the county's unemployment rate was 11.6 percent.

In Hernando County, the unemployment rate for April was 12.9 percent, down from 13.3 percent. In April 2010, that county's unemployment rate was 13.9 percent.

In Marion County, April's unemployment rate was 12.2 percent, compared to 12.3 percent during March. In April 2010, Marion's unemployment rate was 13.2 percent.

The unemployment rate seems to also be showing a slight improvement during April.

The AWI says Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April 2011 is 10.8 percent, the lowest since September 2009. Total employment increased to 8,249,000 in April 2011, up by 27,000 (+0.3 percent) over the month and 83,000 (+1.0 percent) over the year.

The 10.8 percent unemployment rate represents 996,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,245,000. This is the first time the number of unemployed in Florida is below one million since October 2009, the AWI says.

The state’s unemployment rate is down 0.3 percentage point from the March 2011 rate of 11.1 percent and is 0.5 percentage point lower than the April 2010 rate of 11.3 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate is 9.0 percent in April, up from 8.8 percent in March.

Florida’s total nonagricultural employment in April 2011 is 7,216,100, an increase of 14,900 jobs (+0.2 percent) from March 2011. The number of jobs in the state is up 39,200 over the year, an increase of 0.5 percent from April 2010. This is the seventh consecutive month of job gains over the year.

“This is the fourth straight month of decline in Florida’s unemployment rate and the lowest rate in more than a year and a half - very encouraging for Florida’s employers and job seekers,” said Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. “With Governor Scott’s laser focus on job creation, we can expect continued improvement in Florida’s business outlook and employment opportunities.”

Unemployment claims in Florida have continued to trend down as the economy has improved. The April 2011 initial claims total of 75,648 is a 22.3 percent decrease compared to April 2010. Additionally, initial claims are down year-to-date for the state fiscal year, with 11.6 percent fewer claims than at the same time last year.