The unemployment rate for Taunton and nearly every surrounding community dropped in October, the latest month for which data is available. Taunton’s unemployment rate has fallen back into single digits for the first time since this summer, coming in at 9.9 percent for October, according to state data released this week. Taunton’s rate of joblessness, while still higher than that of many nearby towns, is down significantly from a mark of 10.8 percent posted in September.

The state’s average unemployment rate also dipped in October, falling to 8.4 percent, down from 9.3 percent the previous month.

The encouraging state and local employment data bucks a grim national trend. The national unemployment rate for October reached 10.2 percent, the highest mark since 1983. Like many Massachusetts communities, Berkley, Bridgewater, Dighton, Easton, Freetown, Lakeville, Middleboro, Norton, Raynham and Rehoboth also showed improvements to the unemployment rate. Get the rest of the story on TauntonGazette.com…

Updated on March 30, 2010: At 13.0 percent, Middleboro had one of the highest rates of unemployment among communities in Greater Taunton. While Middleboro’s jobless rate went up, the state unemployment rate for February was 10.0 percent, down from 10.4 percent the previous month. Get the rest of the story on TauntonGazette.com.