Despite the economy adding no new jobs in August, the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities dipped after hovering near record high levels for much of the summer.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday that the jobless rate fell to 16.1 percent for those with disabilities in August. That’s down from 16.8 percent the previous month and a record-tying rate of 16.9 percent in June.

The improvement came as the economy as a whole added zero new jobs for the month and unemployment for the general population remained steady at 9.1 percent.

The Labor Department began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.