NEW ORLEANS - Unemployment fell again in Louisiana, as payrolls were level.

  

The jobless rate fell to 4.6 percent in January from 4.7 percent in December, as more people entered the labor force and more found jobs. Louisiana's unemployment rate was 5.8 percent a year ago.

  

About 97,000 Louisianans were jobless, down about 3,000 from December.

  

January's U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, the same as in December but below January 2017's 4.8 percent.

  

The separate survey of how many people are on employer payrolls, many economists' top labor market indicator, stayed level from December to January at about 1.97 million in Louisiana. That's about level with last year. Louisiana payrolls stopped shrinking in mid-2016, but haven't grown consistently since.

  

The U.S. Labor Department released figures Monday, adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes.