NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's unemployment rate has dropped to 6 percent, down from 6.3 percent in March and the lowest rate in seven years.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said it is the third consecutive monthly decline.

The national rate for April was 5.4 percent, one-tenth of one percentage point lower than the previous month.

Nonfarm employment increased by 6,400 jobs from March to April.

Tennessee's unemployment rate dropped from 6.5 percent to 6 percent in the past year, while the national rate declined from 6.2 percent to 5.4 percent. Nonfarm employment increased by 47,000 jobs in Tennessee in the past year.

State figures show the largest increases from March to April occurred in accommodation/food services, administrative/support/waste services, mining/logging/construction and finance/insurance.