Arkansas’ unemployment rate for August was the lowest for that month in 17 years but still rose slightly compared with July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Arkansas Employment Security Department. The state jobless rate of 5.1 percent compares favorably to the nation’s 5.6 percent rate. Arkansas’ eight-month average for unemployment is 4.9 percent, and that’s down from 5.5 percent last year. Arkansas ranks eighth nationally in nonfarm job growth, and Arkansas’ economy continues to outperform the national economy.