JOBLESS RATE
Butler and Allegheny counties led the way to improved jobless rates in June, both registering 4.9 percent for the second time this year. Both counties reached that mark in April before slipping to 5.2 percent in May. Before this year, the last time Butler's rate fell below 5 percent was July 2008. In the most recent figures, all nine counties in the region had falling jobless rates. However, two of the counties — Armstrong and Beaver — remained slightly above 6 percent.