A new report says the Kansas jobless rate dropped below 6 percent in September for the first time in almost four years.

The state Labor Department said Thursday that seasonally adjusted unemployment fell last month to 5.9 percent from 6.2 percent in August. It was also down from 6.7 percent in September 2011.

Kansas last had a jobless rate below 6 percent in December 2008.

The department also said Kansas continues to see modest growth in private, non-farm employment. The state had nearly 1.1 million such jobs last month, an increase of 1.2 percent from September 2011.