Washington, Oct 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti): The unemployment rate in the US dropped to 7.8 percent in September, the lowest since January 2009, when President Barack Obama took office, according to a report by the Labor Department.

The unemployment rate fell 0.3 percent in September, as employers added 114,000 new jobs.

The government also revised previous numbers to show the economy created 86,000 more jobs in July and August than first estimated.

The health care industry added the most jobs at 44,000, and for the third month in a row jobs within the government grew, but manufacturing jobs fell for the second straight month.

It was welcome news at the White House after what many think was a disappointing debate performance by the president.

Obama said at a campaign stop in Virginia that the falling of the unemployment rate was "a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now".

The president's opponent, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, downplayed the jobs report.

"This is not what a real recovery looks like. If not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labour force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11 percent," ROmney said.

The report, however, said the decline in the unemployment rate was due to more job seekers finding work, as opposed to giving up and leaving the labour market as was the case in previous reports.

There would be one more monthly unemployment report before the Nov 6 election.