The unemployment rate in Massachusetts dropped slightly, to 3.5 percent, last month as the state added 4,440 jobs, labor officials announced Friday.

October marked the 30th consecutive month the unemployment rate had held below 4 percent. Nationally, the rate is at 3.7 percent, state Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said.

“With the Commonwealth's consistently low rate of unemployment, the economy continues to add jobs at a healthy clip and our labor force continues to grow to meet employment needs, with an additional 169,600 employed residents and 5,200 fewer unemployed over the last year,” she said.

The educational and health services, construction, information, manufacturing, trade, transportation and utilities, other services and professional, scientific and business services sectors all added jobs in October. Leisure and hospitality, financial activities, and government recorded job losses.

The total Massachusetts labor force in October was up 174,800 from the 3,658,100 people in October 2017.

–Katie Lannan/State House News Service