The Atlanta metro area added 71,500
net new jobs over the past 12 months, according to newly released seasonally
adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The area’s job growth translated into an annual increase of 2.8 percent, falling second only to Dallas among the largest metro areas in the nation. The Dallas area reported a 3.2 percent annual growth rate.
The growth translated into more new jobs added over the year for all but three other metro areas in the U.S. in September. Other metro areas with large over-the-year job increases
included Los Angeles (+133,300), Dallas (+107,000), and New York (+104,500).
The District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia metro area came in below Atlanta, posting annual job growth of 62,800.
Atlanta Metro Area
The Atlanta area’s 2.8 percent growth compares to Georgia’s overall
2.0 percent growth rate. For the 12 months ending in September, the nation as a
whole saw job growth at 2.0 percent.
While the Atlanta area added only 2,700 new jobs in
September, BLS revised the area’s job growth in August upwards from a
preliminary report of 600 jobs to a revised addition of 4,100 jobs.
Over the three months ending in September, the Atlanta area added 22,800 new nonfarm jobs while the rest of the state lost 1,000 jobs
resulting in a net state gain of 21,800 jobs.
As a comparison, for the same three months in 2014, the
Atlanta area created 24,800 jobs while the state posted 37,200 new nonfarm jobs.
Other Metro Areas in
Georgia
Outside Atlanta, the Augusta area posted the fastest growing
job market over the past year, rising by 2.5 percent, an increase of 5,600
nonfarm jobs over the year. Savannah showed a 2.4 percent increase, adding
4,100 jobs since last September.
The Hinesville area posted the largest job loss among
Georgia metro area, losing 2.0 percent (-400 jobs). Albany lost a total of 1.8
percent (-1,100) jobs, while Valdosta reported a loss of 1.6 percent (-900
jobs).