PARKERSBURG - You could call it a sign the economy may be slowly moving toward a recovery.

According to the labor market information report from WorkForce West Virginia for September, nine of the 10 counties in the Mid-Ohio Valley saw the unemployment rate decrease from August to September.

However, all of the counties still see unemployment rates that are double or triple the September 2008 rate.

Three area counties are among the state's five highest in unemployment.

Roane County has the top unemployment rate for the state at 13 percent, up from 12.2 in August. Jackson County has a slightly lower rate at 12.9 percent, down .1 percent from August. Calhoun County had the fifth highest rate at 12.1 percent, down 1.1 percent from last month.

According to the report, no West Virginia county had an unemployment rate of more than six percent in September 2008 when Mason County led the state at 5.9 percent.

Locally, Pleasants County had the highest unemployment rate in September 2008 at 5 percent.

One area county, Gilmer, was among the best, fifth, among counties with the lowest unemployment figures.

Gilmer County recorded a rate of 6.5 percent, down from 7.3 for September, according to the report, but more than double the September 2008 rate of 3.1 percent.

Monongalia County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, down from 4.9 percent in August.

In September 2008 the county's unemployment rate was still the lowest at 2.4 percent.

West Virginia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the month was 8.9 percent, unchanged from August, but double the September 2008 rate when it was 4.3 percent.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, down from 9.6 in August, but much higher than September 2008 when the rate was 6.2 percent.

Unemployment for the Parkersburg-Marietta metropolitan statistical area-which includes Wood, Wirt and Pleasants counties in West Virginia and Washington County, Ohio-was down by half a percent, 9.2, in September compared to 9.7 in August.

In 2008 the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent.