Counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia

Written by:
Stacker
May 3, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia

While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Georgia using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.

The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia.

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#50. Turner County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,248 people (125 unemployed)

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#49. Irwin County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,488 people (132 unemployed)

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#48. Early County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,067 people (155 unemployed)

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#47. Dodge County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,281 people (275 unemployed)

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#46. Stephens County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,593 people (406 unemployed)

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#45. Coffee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,874 people (723 unemployed)

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#44. Rockdale County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,868 people (1,769 unemployed)

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#43. Wilkinson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,458 people (135 unemployed)

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#42. Montgomery County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,905 people (151 unemployed)

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#41. Pulaski County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,053 people (157 unemployed)

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#40. Peach County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,972 people (464 unemployed)

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#39. Baldwin County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,021 people (695 unemployed)

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#38. Laurens County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,467 people (794 unemployed)

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#37. Newton County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 56,178 people (2,163 unemployed)

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#36. Bibb County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 65,660 people (2,592 unemployed)

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#35. Clayton County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 144,571 people (5,686 unemployed)

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#34. Taylor County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,767 people (111 unemployed)

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#33. Terrell County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,433 people (138 unemployed)

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#32. Berrien County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,718 people (309 unemployed)

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#31. Mitchell County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,891 people (316 unemployed)

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#30. Muscogee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 76,646 people (3,076 unemployed)

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#29. Lanier County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,798 people (157 unemployed)

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#28. Dooly County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,304 people (177 unemployed)

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#27. Emanuel County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,837 people (365 unemployed)

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#26. Murray County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 15,812 people (648 unemployed)

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#25. Baker County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,032 people (43 unemployed)

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#24. Washington County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 7,294 people (307 unemployed)

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#23. Dougherty County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 36,316 people (1,541 unemployed)

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#22. Seminole County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,082 people (134 unemployed)

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#21. Jenkins County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,435 people (146 unemployed)

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#20. Bleckley County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 4,947 people (212 unemployed)

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#19. Jeff Davis County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,149 people (262 unemployed)

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#18. Jefferson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,793 people (291 unemployed)

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#17. Towns County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,267 people (188 unemployed)

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#16. Screven County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,898 people (217 unemployed)

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#15. Sumter County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,137 people (534 unemployed)

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#14. Richmond County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 84,372 people (3,702 unemployed)

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#13. Randolph County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,308 people (103 unemployed)

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#12. Ben Hill County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,667 people (256 unemployed)

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#11. Chattahoochee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,910 people (88 unemployed)

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#10. Twiggs County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,707 people (128 unemployed)

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#9. Macon County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,497 people (212 unemployed)

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#8. McDuffie County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 8,568 people (399 unemployed)

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#7. Taliaferro County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 573 people (29 unemployed)

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#6. Burke County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,038 people (463 unemployed)

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#5. Wheeler County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,669 people (89 unemployed)

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#4. Hancock County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,479 people (144 unemployed)

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#3. Quitman County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 736 people (46 unemployed)

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#2. Telfair County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,335 people (215 unemployed)

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#1. Clay County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 763 people (50 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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