Number of unemployed people in Georgia, not seasonally adjusted
Unemployment rates rose in March in 156 of Georgia’s 159
counties compared to a year earlier.
Two south central Georgia counties posted the highest
unemployment rates in the state. Telfair County posted a March unemployment
rate of 10.8%, up from 5.3% in March 2019, followed by nearby Wheeler County at
9%, which rose from 5.6% in the prior year.
Statewide, Georgia recorded an unemployment rate of 4.3%,
before seasonal adjustment, up from 3.6% a year earlier. Over the past 12
months, the number of unemployed people in the state rose by 40,795 (+22.3%).
The counties recording the lowest unemployment rates in
Georgia included Oconee County (3.2%) in the Athens metro area, Hall County
(3.4%) in the Gainesville metro area, and Jackson County (3.4%), which has a
number of residents working in the Atlanta and Athens metro areas.
In 55 of Georgia’s 159 counties, the number of unemployed persons
increased by 25% or more in March compared to a year earlier. In 44 other
counties, the number of unemployed increased by 20-24.9% compared to a year ago.
The number of unemployed persons declined in only one county
– Terrell County – which posted an unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 5.4%
last year. Talbot County showed no change in the number of unemployed people
residing in its county and no change in its unemployment rate at 4.9%.
Counties recording the largest increases in unemployed
persons over the past 12 months were all in the Atlanta metro area and included
Fulton (+4,789), Gwinnett (+3,427), DeKalb (+3,342), Cobb (+2,965), and Clayton
(+1,527).
Chatham County in the Savannah metro area posted an over-the-year
unemployment increase of 1,150 people.
