Arizona’s jobless rate dropped a tenth of a point last month to a seasonally adjusted employment rate of 4.8%.
That includes 30,100 new jobs in October, said Doug Walls with the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Among the job sectors that hired were financial entities, construction, furniture and clothing retailers, as well as Halloween and party rentals.
"You know, costume rental, formal wear, it's a big business in October,” he said.
Notably, Walls said, there were 4,300 new hires at Arizona restaurants.
That was despite the state’s minimum wage hike earlier in the year to from $10.50 to $11 an hour.
Overall, wages throughout the Arizona economy are up 4.1% since the last year compared with 3% nationally.
That involves more than just a higher minimum wage. Walls said it's reflective of the state's improving economy, with jobs being created as fast as people enter the workforce.
"Overall, when you're seeing employment growth, wages tend to follow that if the workforce availability is scarcer,'' he said.
