The unemployment rate in the Lincoln area hit its lowest level in nearly 18 years in November.
According to monthly data released Friday by the Nebraska Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Lancaster and Seward counties, fell to 2.2 percent in November.
That was down from 2.5 percent in October and 2.3 percent in November 2017.
It also was the lowest level of unemployment since December 2000, when the rate was 2.1 percent.
Lincoln also hit all-time highs for the number of jobs and the number of people employed.
There were 178,319 people employed, up more than 3,600 from last year at the same time.
And there were 193,925 jobs in the area, up more than 3,200 from a year ago.
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Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the local economy, like the national economy, is at full employment just as it was in late 2000, which accounts for Lincoln's very low unemployment rate.
"Further, with the economy at full employment and the steady growth in Lincoln's population since 2000, employment levels also are at record levels," Thompson said in an email.
The state as a whole also hit an all-time high for jobs in November, with 1,039,938, up 12,753 from a year ago and also an all-time high.
There also were 992,198 people employed statewide during the month, nearly 14,500 more than a year ago. The number of people unemployed fell by 670 compared with a year ago.
The state unemployment rate in November was 2.8 percent for the fourth month in a row. Compared with November 2017, the rate was down 0.1 percentage points.
State Labor Commissioner John Albin pointed out that in addition to the historical highs for job numbers both in Lincoln and statewide, there also was continued strong growth in manufacturing jobs.
"November was another strong month for manufacturing, with a 3 percent employment increase over the year," Albin said in a news release.
The state and local unemployment rates remained well below the national rate, which was 3.7 percent last month.