Boston (AP)  -- The unemployment rate in Massachusetts has dipped to its lowest level in nearly seven years.

The state said Thursday that unemployment fell to 4.1 percent in April, down from 4.4 percent in March. Last month's average was the lowest since September 2001, when the jobless rate also stood at 4.1 percent.

Unemployment has been trending downward in Massachusetts since peaking at 5.9 percent in mid-2003.

The April rate was based on a survey of households that found a 2,400-person increase in the number of employed residents, and a 8,900-person decrease in those without jobs.

A separate survey of employers found a decline of 2,400 jobs in April in Massachusetts. The jobs number and the unemployment rate sometimes move in opposite directions because they rely on different surveying methods.