Nebraska’s unemployment rate edged down by 0.1 of a percentage point in October to hit the lowest rate achieved by any state since data collection began in 1976, according Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and federal labor statistics data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said in a Nov. 19 report (pdf) that Nebraska’s unemployment rate fell from 2.0 percent in September to 1.9 percent in October—a record low for any state in America since the agency started tracking the data over four decades ago. “Nebraska has achieved the lowest unemployment rate of any state in history,” Ricketts, a Republican, said in a statement. “The record rate is a sign of our strong job growth, successful reemployment services, and extraordinary economic resilience.” Nebraska and other rural states tend to have unemployment rates lower than the national average due to a combination of factors. This includes fewer people per job, more jobs …