Local Area Unemployment Statistics, State and Area Employment, JOLTS · Georgia
How is the job market in Georgia?
The unemployment rate in Georgia was 3.3% in the month ended , against 4.2% for the United States.
Georgia, unemployment, each month
- Unemployment rate3.3%3.0% to 12.5%
- Participation rate61.1%59.6% to 63.9%
- Employment-population ratio59.1%52.4% to 61.0%
Georgia, people, each month
- Labor force, thousands5,504.04,944.9 to 5,504.0
- Employed, thousands5,325.14,329.6 to 5,325.1
- Unemployed, thousands178.9159.7 to 617.4
Georgia, jobs and pay, each month
- Nonfarm payrolls, thousands4,983.04,066.0 to 4,999.0
- Average hourly earnings$35.39$24.24 to $36.27
- Average weekly hours34.733.0 to 35.3
Georgia, openings and turnover rates, each month
- Job openings rate5.3%3.7% to 8.9%
- Hires rate2.8%2.8% to 6.6%
- Quits rate1.6%1.6% to 5.1%
- Layoffs and discharges rate1.1%0.7% to 6.3%
- Total separations rate2.9%2.7% to 8.4%
Each row is one measure of Georgia over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Georgia, openings and turnover, each month
- Job openings, thousands279156 to 469
- Hires, thousands142141 to 315
- Quits, thousands7977 to 243
- Layoffs and discharges, thousands5435 to 291
- Total separations, thousands146135 to 377
Each row is one measure of Georgia over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Right now
The unemployment rate in Georgia was 3.3% in September 2026, ranking 39th highest of 51 among the states and the District of Columbia.
Over a year it is down 0.1 percentage points (ours). The rate for the United States was 4.2% in the same month. The source marks this value preliminary.
The unemployment rate in September 2026 was the highest since June 2026.
Jobs and payOurs: change and rank
Nonfarm payroll employment was 4,983.0 thousand in September 2026, unchanged over a year (ours), 9th highest of 51.
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private payrolls was $35.39 in September 2026, up 1.4% over a year (ours), 25th highest of 51.
Job openings and turnoverOurs: change and rank
The job openings rate was 5.3% in December 2025, unchanged over a year (ours), 2nd highest of 51.
The hires rate was 2.8% in December 2025, down 1.0 percentage point over a year (ours), 47th highest of 51.
The quits rate was 1.6% in December 2025, down 0.4 percentage points over a year (ours), 45th highest of 51.
Understanding the labor market of Georgia
Where it stands today
The unemployment rate in Georgia was 3.3% in September 2026.
What do the figures for Georgia measure?
This page gathers the labor market figures of Georgia that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes: how many people are in the labor force, at work and unemployed, how many payroll jobs there are and what they pay, and how many jobs are open and how many people were hired, quit or lost a job.
Read more
The unemployment figures come from Local Area Unemployment Statistics, a model that BLS runs for each state every month. The payroll jobs, hours and earnings come from a monthly survey of employers, and the job openings and labor turnover from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
What 500metrics adds: each figure's rank among the fifty states and the District of Columbia, its change over a year, the last time it was higher and lower, the nation's figure beside a rate where BLS gives one, and the last ten years of every figure as small charts.
The numbers behind the chart
What are the latest figures for Georgia?19 measures, each in its own newest month
| Measure | Section | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank | United States | Last higher | Last lower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | Unemployment | 3.3% | −0.1 pts | 39 of 51 | 4.2% | |||
| Participation rate | Unemployment | 61.1% | +0.3 pts | 35 of 51 | 61.8% | |||
| Employment-population ratio | Unemployment | 59.1% | +0.4 pts | 31 of 51 | 59.2% | |||
| Labor force | People | 5,504.0 thousand | +1.3% | 8 of 51 | n/a | none since 1976 | ||
| Employed | People | 5,325.1 thousand | +1.5% | 8 of 51 | n/a | none since 1976 | ||
| Unemployed | People | 178.9 thousand | −4.1% | 13 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Nonfarm payrolls | Jobs and pay | 4,983.0 thousand | 0.0% | 9 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Average hourly earnings | Jobs and pay | $35.39 | +1.4% | 25 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Average weekly hours | Jobs and pay | 34.7 hours | 0.0% | 14 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Job openings rate | Openings and turnover rates | 5.3% | 0.0 pts | 2 of 51 | 4.0% | |||
| Hires rate | Openings and turnover rates | 2.8% | −1.0 pts | 47 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Quits rate | Openings and turnover rates | 1.6% | −0.4 pts | 45 of 51 | 2.0% | |||
| Layoffs and discharges rate | Openings and turnover rates | 1.1% | 0.0 pts | 10 of 51 | 1.1% | |||
| Total separations rate | Openings and turnover rates | 2.9% | −0.3 pts | 41 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Job openings | Openings and turnover | 279 thousand | +0.7% | 6 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Hires | Openings and turnover | 142 thousand | −25.3% | 11 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Quits | Openings and turnover | 79 thousand | −21.0% | 12 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Layoffs and discharges | Openings and turnover | 54 thousand | 0.0% | 10 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Total separations | Openings and turnover | 146 thousand | −9.3% | 11 of 51 | n/a |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What is the unemployment rate in each county of Georgia?159 counties, September 2026, by name
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appling County | 4.1% | 3.5% | +0.6 pts |
| Atkinson County | 3.3% | 2.9% | +0.4 pts |
| Bacon County | 3.5% | 3.2% | +0.3 pts |
| Baker County | 4.9% | 4.0% | +0.9 pts |
| Baldwin County | 3.9% | 3.8% | +0.1 pts |
| Banks County | 3.1% | 2.7% | +0.4 pts |
| Barrow County | 3.1% | 2.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Bartow County | 3.3% | 3.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Ben Hill County | 4.2% | 3.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Berrien County | 3.2% | 3.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Bibb County | 4.5% | 4.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Bleckley County | 3.6% | 3.5% | +0.1 pts |
| Brantley County | 3.3% | 3.0% | +0.3 pts |
| Brooks County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Bryan County | 3.1% | 2.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Bulloch County | 3.8% | 3.4% | +0.4 pts |
| Burke County | 4.5% | 4.4% | +0.1 pts |
| Butts County | 3.6% | 3.2% | +0.4 pts |
| Calhoun County | 3.0% | 2.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Camden County | 3.4% | 3.0% | +0.4 pts |
| Candler County | 3.6% | 3.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Carroll County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Catoosa County | 3.2% | 3.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Charlton County | 3.4% | 3.4% | 0.0 pts |
| Chatham County | 3.1% | 2.9% | +0.2 pts |
Show 134 more rows
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee County | 7.7% | 7.6% | +0.1 pts |
| Chattooga County | 4.1% | 3.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Cherokee County | 3.0% | 2.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Clarke County | 3.5% | 3.2% | +0.3 pts |
| Clay County | 5.7% | 6.9% | −1.2 pts |
| Clayton County | 4.4% | 4.5% | −0.1 pts |
| Clinch County | 4.0% | 3.6% | +0.4 pts |
| Cobb County | 3.3% | 3.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Coffee County | 3.6% | 3.7% | −0.1 pts |
| Colquitt County | 3.2% | 3.1% | +0.1 pts |
| Columbia County | 3.5% | 3.2% | +0.3 pts |
| Cook County | 3.7% | 3.0% | +0.7 pts |
| Coweta County | 3.2% | 3.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Crawford County | 3.7% | 3.4% | +0.3 pts |
| Crisp County | 3.7% | 3.3% | +0.4 pts |
| Dade County | 3.4% | 3.2% | +0.2 pts |
| Dawson County | 3.0% | 2.6% | +0.4 pts |
| DeKalb County | 3.6% | 3.6% | 0.0 pts |
| Decatur County | 3.7% | 3.5% | +0.2 pts |
| Dodge County | 3.4% | 3.5% | −0.1 pts |
| Dooly County | 4.1% | 3.9% | +0.2 pts |
| Dougherty County | 5.0% | 5.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Douglas County | 3.8% | 3.7% | +0.1 pts |
| Early County | 4.9% | 4.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Echols County | 2.8% | 2.4% | +0.4 pts |
| Effingham County | 2.9% | 2.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Elbert County | 3.9% | 3.3% | +0.6 pts |
| Emanuel County | 4.0% | 4.1% | −0.1 pts |
| Evans County | 3.3% | 3.0% | +0.3 pts |
| Fannin County | 3.2% | 2.9% | +0.3 pts |
| Fayette County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Floyd County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Forsyth County | 3.0% | 2.6% | +0.4 pts |
| Franklin County | 3.9% | 3.3% | +0.6 pts |
| Fulton County | 3.6% | 3.6% | 0.0 pts |
| Gilmer County | 3.3% | 2.8% | +0.5 pts |
| Glascock County | 3.8% | 2.9% | +0.9 pts |
| Glynn County | 3.0% | 2.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Gordon County | 3.2% | 3.2% | 0.0 pts |
| Grady County | 3.4% | 3.1% | +0.3 pts |
| Greene County | 3.7% | 3.6% | +0.1 pts |
| Gwinnett County | 3.3% | 3.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Habersham County | 3.1% | 2.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Hall County | 3.0% | 2.7% | +0.3 pts |
| Hancock County | 4.9% | 5.4% | −0.5 pts |
| Haralson County | 3.4% | 3.1% | +0.3 pts |
| Harris County | 3.3% | 3.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Hart County | 3.6% | 3.2% | +0.4 pts |
| Heard County | 3.7% | 3.4% | +0.3 pts |
| Henry County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Houston County | 3.4% | 2.9% | +0.5 pts |
| Irwin County | 3.6% | 3.4% | +0.2 pts |
| Jackson County | 3.2% | 3.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Jasper County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Jeff Davis County | 4.6% | 4.1% | +0.5 pts |
| Jefferson County | 4.0% | 4.1% | −0.1 pts |
| Jenkins County | 3.1% | 2.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Johnson County | 3.7% | 3.3% | +0.4 pts |
| Jones County | 3.4% | 3.4% | 0.0 pts |
| Lamar County | 4.6% | 4.2% | +0.4 pts |
| Lanier County | 3.6% | 3.6% | 0.0 pts |
| Laurens County | 3.8% | 3.7% | +0.1 pts |
| Lee County | 3.0% | 2.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Liberty County | 4.1% | 3.9% | +0.2 pts |
| Lincoln County | 4.0% | 3.6% | +0.4 pts |
| Long County | 3.8% | 3.5% | +0.3 pts |
| Lowndes County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Lumpkin County | 3.8% | 3.3% | +0.5 pts |
| Macon County | 4.7% | 4.7% | 0.0 pts |
| Madison County | 3.3% | 3.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Marion County | 3.6% | 3.4% | +0.2 pts |
| McDuffie County | 4.1% | 4.1% | 0.0 pts |
| McIntosh County | 3.7% | 3.4% | +0.3 pts |
| Meriwether County | 4.0% | 4.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Miller County | 3.3% | 2.7% | +0.6 pts |
| Mitchell County | 4.1% | 3.9% | +0.2 pts |
| Monroe County | 3.2% | 2.9% | +0.3 pts |
| Montgomery County | 4.6% | 4.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Morgan County | 3.0% | 2.7% | +0.3 pts |
| Murray County | 3.5% | 3.6% | −0.1 pts |
| Muscogee County | 4.4% | 4.2% | +0.2 pts |
| Newton County | 4.1% | 4.1% | 0.0 pts |
| Oconee County | 2.9% | 2.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Oglethorpe County | 2.9% | 2.9% | 0.0 pts |
| Paulding County | 3.4% | 3.3% | +0.1 pts |
| Peach County | 4.3% | 3.8% | +0.5 pts |
| Pickens County | 3.1% | 2.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Pierce County | 4.0% | 3.5% | +0.5 pts |
| Pike County | 3.2% | 2.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Polk County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Pulaski County | 3.7% | 3.1% | +0.6 pts |
| Putnam County | 3.7% | 4.0% | −0.3 pts |
| Quitman County | 5.9% | 7.4% | −1.5 pts |
| Rabun County | 3.4% | 3.0% | +0.4 pts |
| Randolph County | 4.0% | 3.7% | +0.3 pts |
| Richmond County | 4.7% | 4.7% | 0.0 pts |
| Rockdale County | 4.1% | 4.1% | 0.0 pts |
| Schley County | 3.6% | 2.9% | +0.7 pts |
| Screven County | 4.0% | 3.6% | +0.4 pts |
| Seminole County | 4.7% | 4.3% | +0.4 pts |
| Spalding County | 4.0% | 3.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Stephens County | 4.2% | 4.1% | +0.1 pts |
| Stewart County | 5.5% | 5.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Sumter County | 4.5% | 4.6% | −0.1 pts |
| Talbot County | 4.2% | 4.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Taliaferro County | 4.1% | 3.6% | +0.5 pts |
| Tattnall County | 3.9% | 3.3% | +0.6 pts |
| Taylor County | 4.0% | 4.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Telfair County | 4.8% | 5.3% | −0.5 pts |
| Terrell County | 5.0% | 5.3% | −0.3 pts |
| Thomas County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Tift County | 3.4% | 3.0% | +0.4 pts |
| Toombs County | 4.4% | 4.4% | 0.0 pts |
| Towns County | 3.6% | 3.4% | +0.2 pts |
| Treutlen County | 4.0% | 4.1% | −0.1 pts |
| Troup County | 3.0% | 3.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Turner County | 4.0% | 3.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Twiggs County | 4.5% | 4.4% | +0.1 pts |
| Union County | 4.0% | 3.5% | +0.5 pts |
| Upson County | 3.8% | 3.1% | +0.7 pts |
| Walker County | 3.3% | 3.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Walton County | 3.3% | 3.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Ware County | 4.3% | 4.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Warren County | 3.8% | 3.9% | −0.1 pts |
| Washington County | 3.8% | 3.7% | +0.1 pts |
| Wayne County | 3.4% | 3.5% | −0.1 pts |
| Webster County | 3.9% | 3.5% | +0.4 pts |
| Wheeler County | 3.1% | 3.1% | 0.0 pts |
| White County | 3.0% | 2.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Whitfield County | 3.6% | 3.7% | −0.1 pts |
| Wilcox County | 3.6% | 3.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Wilkes County | 4.1% | 3.3% | +0.8 pts |
| Wilkinson County | 4.3% | 4.5% | −0.2 pts |
| Worth County | 3.9% | 3.3% | +0.6 pts |
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The unemployment figures of a state are estimates from a model, not a count. BLS revises the latest months as more data arrive and revises the past years every March.
- The payroll figures are estimates from a survey of employers. BLS revises them twice after the first release and once a year, when it benchmarks them to the count of jobs covered by unemployment insurance. Average hourly earnings and average weekly hours are for all employees on private payrolls and are not seasonally adjusted.
- The state figures of job openings and labor turnover come from a survey whose estimates for a single state have a larger sampling error than the nation's. Each figure shows its own newest month, which can be older than the month of the unemployment rate.
- A rank is among the fifty states and the District of Columbia in the same month, highest value first, and a large state ranks high on a count of people or jobs. The changes, the ranks and the months a figure was last higher and lower are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes.
- The county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so each county's rate is set beside its own rate a year before.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Current Population Survey; State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings; Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey), labor market of Georgia, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How is the job market in Georgia?", https://500metrics.com/states/georgia.
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