GALLIPOLIS — A sluggish economy failed to stem a reduction in unemployment rates in southern Ohio during April, the state Department of Jobs anf Family Services found.

Joblessness was down in Gallia and Meigs, as well as other area communities from March, according to county-by-county data released this week by the state.

Gallia County saw a 1 percent drop over March when it posted 5.4 percent unemployment in April. The rate was 6.4 percent a month earlier.

Meigs County fell 1.7 percent, from 10.2 percent in March to 8.5 percent in April. It also dropped Meigs out of the double-digit range for the first time since November.

The jobless rate in Athens County fell eight-tenths of a percent, from 6 percent in March to 5.2 the following month. Jackson County fell 1.1 percent with 7.3 percent in April after posting 8.4 percent in March. Lawrence County dropped four-tenths of a percent from 4.9 percent during March to 4.5 in April.

Vinton County was down eight-tenths of a percent with 7.7 percent joblessness in April. The March figure was 8.5 percent. Washington County’s rate dipped 1 percent, from 5.5 percent in March to 4.5 the following month.

The state says Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in April, down from the revised rate of 5.8 percent in March.

The figures released Friday show that the number of unemployed workers in April was 335,000, down from 345,000 in March. The number of unemployed people has decreased by 2,000 in the past year.

The rate this April was unchanged from the 5.6 percent rate a year earlier.

The state’s 5.6 percent unemployment figure tops the national rate of 5.0 percent.

DJFS says Ohio continued to feel the effects of a sluggish economy in April. Overall, losses continue in the service and goods-producing industries.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)