State labor officials say Connecticut's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.2 percent in January despite the state losing 10,400 jobs.  All six of the Labor Market Areas posted job losses with the Danbury area the biggest decliner at -1.4 percent.

The state Labor Department released a report Friday saying officials believe poor winter weather was largely responsible for the job losses and they expect job growth trends to return.

The unemployment rate was down from 7.4 percent in December and from 8 percent in January 2013. Labor Department officials say it was the sixth month in a row that the unemployment rate decreased.

The national unemployment rate in January was 6.6 percent, down from 6.7 percent in December.

The department says Connecticut has recovered nearly half the 119,100 jobs it lost in the recession from March 2008 to February 2010.