KIRKSVILLE, MO -- A new report showed Missouri gained nearly 18,000 jobs last month, and the state's unemployment rate held at 7.2 percent.

Missouri’s unemployment rate has been below 8 percent throughout 2012.

Tuesday’s report also showed the state's civilian labor force fell by nearly 11,000 from July to August.

In Adair County, the latest unemployment rate report was for July when it was at 7.8 percent.

An economic development director in Kirksville said the city is right in the middle compared to other areas, but the unemployment rate is usually higher during the summer months.

 “In the summer a lot of people go on unemployment that had jobs the rest of the year,” Carolyn Chrisman, K-REDI Director of Economic Development, said. “It actually looks like we've lost jobs, because our unemployment percentage went up from June to July. And so, a lot of times it looks like we're losing jobs…because we're a college town, we had fewer people employed (in the summer). So, really we haven't lost a lot of jobs, and we haven't really gained a lot. It's been very stable.”

Last September, Adair County's unemployment rate was 8.5 percent.

Chrisman said they should have September 2012 numbers by November.