The Ann Arbor region's unemployment rate declined from 9.4 percent in August to 9.3 percent in September, according to state figures released this afternoon.

The seasonally unadjusted rate, which covers Washtenaw County, is up 2.9 percentage points from September 2008.

Relative stability in the region's unemployment rate reflects the statewide trend. Michigan's unemployment, currently 15.3 percent, has hovered between 15.0 percent and 15.3 percent in the last few months.

"In a year marked with high unemployment, September was a relatively calm month for Michigan's regional labor markets," said Rick Waclawek, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information & Strategic Initiatives, in a statement.

Still, the Ann Arbor economy's workforce contracted in September. The number of employed workers in Washtenaw County declined from 176,400 in August to 175,600 in September. That marks a 4.6 percent drop from 2008, below the statewide average drop of 7.6 percent.

Washtenaw's unemployment rate ranks fifth best in Michigan, behind Mackinac (6.1), Isabella (8.5), Cheboygan (8.6) and Leelanau (9.0). Wayne County's unemployment rate in September was 18.3 percent; Macomb's was 18.1 percent; and Oakland's was 15.6 percent.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.