The Department of Economic Development announced Friday that it would award $7.57 million through its Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) to nonprofits across Missouri for community development projects.

In the history of the data set, the only other time the state’s unemployment dropped this low was from October 1999 to January 2000. The unemployment data series goes back to 1976.

Nonfarm payroll employment in Missouri increased by 3,300 jobs in September, on a seasonally adjusted basis. With an upward revision of 1,800 in the August data, nonfarm payrolls have grown by 6,100 jobs since July.

“We love it when homegrown Missouri businesses choose to continue growing in our state,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said. “To make this project happen, it took a lot of collaboration between state and local partners, across workforce, economic development and government. We want to thank everyone who was at the table, working for this business and the community of Eldon.”