Here's how unemployment in Cobb County, Georgia compares

Cobb County's unemployment rate in December was 2.6%—ranked #115 highest out of 159 in the state.

Nationally, unemployment has leveled with pre-COVID rates, measuring between 3.5% and 4% for most of the past two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed a 3.7% unemployment rate in January. Previously, unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and those rates remained elevated through late 2021.

Though national unemployment has mostly normalized, local economies vary widely. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze unemployment in Cobb County over time, and how it stacks up within Georgia and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Cobb County is 1.1 percentage points below the national level, and 0.8 percentage points below the state level. It ranks #115 among counties in Georgia—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It trails behind Gwinnett County, which also has an unemployment rate of 2.6%, but surpasses Chatham County (which has the same unemployment rate).

In real terms, it means an estimated 11,357 of Cobb County's approximately 441,900 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 853 fewer than last month and 1,082 more than a year ago. Some economists fret another recession may be on the horizon, which would drive unemployment up with business closures and layoffs.

This story was produced using automation across 3,100 counties, boroughs, and parishes, based on writing and data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.