The August unemployment rate in DeKalb County dropped slightly from 8.6 percent in July, coming in at was 8.2 percent last month.The August rate was significantly lower than the 9.1percent rate recorded in August 2011, and only .1 of a point higher than the state rate of 8.5 percent recorded last month.According to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the local labor force for August was 9,760.A total of 8,960 people in DeKalb were employed, and 800 were out of work.The agency’s August report shows county non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 90 counties, only increased in two counties, and stayed the same in three.White County suffered the highest local unemployment rate in August, registering 11.7 percent.The rate in Warren County was at 9.3 percent last month, and the Jackson County rate was at 9.0 percent.Cumberland County’s August rate was at 8.9 percent, Putnam was at 8.2 percent and Cannon County came in at 7.6 percent.Rounding out the region were Smith County, with a 7.4 percent rate, and Wilson County, with a 6.9 percent rate for the month.Knox County enjoyed the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 6.7 percent, unchanged from the July rate.Davidson County registered 7.4 percent, unchanged from the July.Shelby County’s rate came in at 9.0 percent, down from 9.7 percent in July.The state unemployment rate for August increased to 8.5 percent, up from the July revised rate of 8.4 percent.The national unemployment rate for the month was 8.1 percent, down 0.2 percent from the July rate.The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.