The number of unemployed veterans continued to tick downward in October, marking a record low unemployment rate for the second month in a row, according to federal data released Friday.
The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show 2.7 percent of veterans were unemployed last month, down from 3 percent in September. Prior to September, the lowest veteran unemployment rate on record was 3.2 percent.
The unemployment rates for post-9/11 veterans and Gulf War era veterans also dropped in October, to 3.6 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.
The monthly employment figures should be taken with a grain of salt, experts warn; veteran unemployment data is drawn from a much smaller sample size than the overall population.
Overall, the U.S. added 261,000 jobs in October, as employment in the food services and drink industries increased again after taking a hit from recent hurricanes. The national unemployment rate also decreased slightly — from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent.
