Austin’s unemployment numbers saw a big drop in April.

Austin’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent last month. That’s down considerably from 5.6 percent in April 2011 and the 5.7 rate from March, according to date released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The 4.6 percent unemployment rate means out of a labor force of 13,714, only 635 are seeking work and jobless, the lowest number by far in 2012 and the lowest since November 2008 (although there were only 636 in November 2011). The jobless rate is also the lowest it’s been in 2012 and the lowest since November 2011.

Mower County’s non-seasonally adjusted numbers were similar, down to 4.4 percent in April, the lowest it has been since October 2008. The number of unemployed and seeking work in the county dropped from 1,245 in March to 963 in April.

Albert Lea’s rate — which has been one of the highest in the region — fell from 6.7 percent in April 2011 and 7.8 percent in March to 5.9 percent in April.

Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 5.6 percent in April, down from 5.8 in March. Nationally, that number fell from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent in April.