The economy added 214,000 jobs in October while the unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Analysts had expected 235,000 jobs to be added. That marks nine straight months of 200,000 or more jobs added. The average over the last six months has been 235,000.
Past months were revised to have added 31,000 more jobs than had been reported: 23,000 more in August and 8,000 more in September.
The biggest job gains in October were in food services and drinking places (42,000 added), retail (27,000 added), and health care (25,000 added).
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