MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Vermont had the nation’s lowest unemployment in October, according to a new ranking from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vermont’s seasonally adjusted 3.1 percent unemployment rate for the month beat out second-ranked Hawaii, which the BLS said had a 3.3 percent unemployment rate.

New Hampshire was fifth-lowest, with an October rate of 3.5 percent, the BLS said.

The District of Columbia had the nation’s highest unemployment in October, 8.5 percent.

Rhode Island had a 4.5 percent rate to tie with Florida in 15th place. Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut were tied in 17th place with jobless rates of 4.6 percent.

Gov. James Douglas hailed Vermont’s ranking.

“We continue to move in the right direction,” Douglas said in a statement issued by his office. “Although we expect to have peaks and valleys, our focus must continue to be on economic development and supporting efforts to make Vermont a more competitive place to do business and create good jobs.”

AP-ES-11-29-04 2158EST