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FORT MADISON, IOWA -- The U.S. Department of Labor said people seeking unemployment benefits hit its lowest mark in the last four years.

And that number parallels the recently released unemployment rate in Lee County, Iowa from the Iowa Workforce Development office.

According to the state agency, Lee County has seen a dip in its unemployment rate from February 2011 to February of this year.

Last year, the unemployment rate in Lee County was 10.3%, while this year, the unemployment rate was at 8.3%.

Tim Gobble is the director of the Fort Madison Partners, which is an umbrella group for several civic organizations in Fort Madison.

He thinks the rate drop reflects the fact that the state's economy is beginning to rebound.

"Bringing Siemens in, that has made a significant difference in terms of job creation, but there has been a lot of local growth within the industry locally that have had the capabilities and the ability to add employment," Gobble said.

Also according to the state workforce development office, Lee County either had the highest unemployment rate in the state or was a close second for several years.

But with this most recent report, Lee County isn't even in the top four counties with the highest unemployment rates.