OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska’s unemployment rate fell to a mere 1.9% last month, which was the lowest any state has reached since data collection began in 1976, according to labor statistics released Friday.

The October rate reported by Nebraska’s labor department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics marked the first time a state’s unemployment rate dropped below 2%.

Nebraska has maintained its status as the state with the lowest rate through much of the pandemic. It’s 1.9% rate for October was down slightly from the September rate of 2%.

The unemployment rates have been even lower in the state’s two largest metropolitan areas. The Omaha area’s rate in October was 1.7%, while the Lincoln area’s was 1.3%.