WASHINGTON — Mortgage rates around the country fell this week, with rates on 30-year mortgages dipping to the lowest level since January.

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported yesterday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.14 percent, down from 6.18 percent last week. That was the lowest rate since the week of Jan. 26, when 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.12 percent.

It marked the third straight weekly decline in rates, a development that economists attributed to easing inflation pressures as the overall economy slows, held back by a huge drop in housing activity.

Rates on 30-year mortgages have been steadily declining since they peaked at 6.80 percent in late July.

All categories of mortgage rates surveyed by Freddie Mac showed declines this week.

Rates on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, a popular choice for refinancing, averaged 5.87 percent, down from 5.91 percent last week.

For one-year adjustable-rate mortgages, rates fell to 5.46 percent, down from 5.49 percent last week.

Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages dropped to 5.95 percent, compared with 5.99 percent last week.

The mortgage rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Thirty-year and 15-year mortgages each carried a nationwide average fee of 0.4 point. One-year and five-year ARMs both carried a fee of 0.5 point.

A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged 6.26 percent. Fifteen-year mortgages stood at 5.81 percent, one-year ARMs were at 5.16 percent and five-year ARMs averaged 5.76 percent.