Hawaii’s unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent in July, its fifth consecutive monthly decline, the state Department of Labor and Industrial relations reported today.

The July rate was down from 4.6 percent in June. The last time Hawaii’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent was in August 2008.

However, DLIR data suggest July’s decline in unemployment was partly due to  workers leaving the labor force.  The number of unemployed fell by 750, but the number of employed fell by 2,300. The labor force, which is a combination of employed workers and those who are unemployed but actively looking for work, totaled 643,800 in July, down 3,050 from June.

Hawaii’s June unemployment rate compared with a 7.4 percent rate nationally.

The state and national unemployment numbers are adjusted for seasonal variations, such as college graduates and other students entering the workforce during the summer.

County data are not seasonally adjusted. The DLIR reported that the rate in Honolulu County fell to 4.2 percent in July from 4.7 percent in June. The rate fell to 6.8 percent from 7.4 percent in Hawaii County, to 5.3 percent from 5.9 percent in Kauai County, and to 4.9 percent from 5.4 percent in Maui County.