August was the best month in three years for job growth for Manteca residents as 900 people found employment.

The Manteca jobless rate dropped from 15.3 percent in July to 14.1 percent in August according to a report issued Friday by the California Economic Development Department.

Employers in San Joaquin in County generated 7,200 new jobs overall. Manteca residents benefited from an increase of 2,300 government jobs, 1,100 trade and transportation jobs, 900 education or health services jobs, 800 manufacturing jobs, 300 business and professional services jobs, and 200 jobs involving financial activities. There were also 1,300 farm jobs created.

The only job loss was in construction where 100 people went idle. Information as well and mining jobs remained unchanged. While Manteca benefitted from the rise in county-based jobs, a large segment of the Manteca workforce typically commutes out of county.

While Manteca’s jobless rate dropped 1.2 percent, the overall California unemployment numbers jumped up a tenth of a percent to 12.1 percent in August. California’s rate is the second highest in the nation, behind Nevada’s 13.4.

The labor force report issued by the state reflects 23,800 Manteca residents with jobs and 3,900 who are unemployed.

It’s been 23 months since the jobless rate was under 14 percent in Manteca. That was in September 2009 when it was at 13.5 percent. The jobless rate in Manteca hasn’t been under 10 percent for four years.

Nationally, the jobless rate remained at 9.1 percent.

Stockton’s jobless rate was 19.3 percent in August.

The jobless rate in July for Ripon was 11.3 percent down from 12.4 percent, in Lathrop it was at 13.1 percent down from 14.3 percent, in Escalon it was at 14.8 percent down from 16.2 percent, in Tracy it was at 10.1 percent down from 11.1 percent, and in Lodi it was at 12.2 percent down from 13.4 percent.

The jobless rate in the Northern San Joaquin Valley is impacted as much by the Bay Area economy as it is by the local economy. The data reflects the number of available adults who are gainfully employed or not within a certain jurisdiction within the county. Overall, the job count reflects positions available in the county although they could be held by non-county residents just like many Bay Area jobs are held by those who live in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.