Georgia Unemployment Rate Drops to 7.2 Percent

Georgia’s unemployment rate fell to 7.2 percent in November, down from 7.6 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Much of the month-to-month job growth came in the service-related industries, such as retail trade, as well as local government jobs.

The Athens metro area led the state’s lowest jobless rates at 5 percent, while the Dalton metro area had the highest unemployment rate at 8.4 percent.

Georgia still lags behind the national average of 5.8 percent and spent parts of 2014 with the highest unemployment rate of any state. Just 4.4 million of the state’s 4.75 million person labor force were employed in November, making Georgia tied with California for the third-worst unemployment rate in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

All figures are seasonally adjusted to account for short-term changes in the labor market. For details on your area’s unemployment rate, click the links below:

• Metro Albany’s unemployment rate falls to 7.3 percent in November
• Metro Athens’ unemployment rate falls to 5.0 percent in November
• Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate falls to 6.5 percent in November
• Metro Augusta’s unemployment rate falls to 6.6 percent in November
• Metro Brunswick’s unemployment rate falls to 7.5 percent in November
• Metro Columbus’ unemployment rate falls to 7.3 percent in November
• Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate falls to 8.4 percent in November
• Metro Gainesville’s unemployment rate falls to 5.3 percent in November
• Metro Hinesville’s unemployment rate falls to 7.5 percent in November
• Metro Macon’s unemployment rate falls to 6.9 percent in November