Counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia

2024 ended on a high note, with the unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Jan. 10.

Unemployment rates were higher in November than the prior year in 308 of 389 metro areas, though they dropped in 60 areas and remained unchanged in 21 areas, the BLS reported.

The lion's share of job growth remained in government, social assistance, and health care, with openings in nursing, residential care facilities, and home health care leading employment in the latter sector.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Georgia, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in November 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.

Key takeaways: Biden's economic legacy, inauguration day, and immigration's impact on jobs

The latest BLS report highlights the final job figures under the Biden administration, giving the outgoing president a win during his final weeks in office. President Biden highlighted the creation of 16.6 million jobs during his term in a Jan. 11 statement.

"Although I inherited the worst economic crisis in decades with unemployment above 6% when I took office, we've had the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years with unemployment at 4.1% as I leave," he said.

Incoming President-elect Donald Trump will inherit a strong economy, with forecasts tracking ongoing growth into 2025. However, uncertainty remains. Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign goods coupled with a sweeping deportation operation may have a significant impact on the economy, accelerating inflation and tamping down job growth, some experts forecast.

"I worry that immigration will be significantly lower than the long-term average of 1.0 million. I worry that tariffs will be universal and lead to a trade war. That would not be good for the economy and earnings," Hugh Johnson, chairman emeritus at Graypoint, told U.S. News.

What does all this mean for middle-class Americans? The unemployment rate is projected to remain stable, only creeping up to 4.3%, according to the Federal Reserve's latest Summary of Economic Projections. Experts suggest paying down mortgages, revisiting investment strategies, and paying attention to taxes before rates possibly shift as Inauguration Day draws close.

The big story: California wildfires still rage

Although Goldman predicts only a "modest drag" on U.S. jobs due to the devastating California wildfires, the situation is still ongoing. Small businesses destroyed by the fires will impact local jobs; in the wake of the fires, a surge in construction and the need for labor and materials might lead to localized shortages and rising costs, impacting several industries.

However, amid political and environmental uncertainty, it's unclear which way the winds will blow. Americans will have to simply wait for the smoke to clear.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia.

#50. Lamar County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,609 people (346 unemployed)

#49. Laurens County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 21,149 people (845 unemployed)

#48. Bleckley County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,124 people (212 unemployed)

#47. Berrien County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,216 people (335 unemployed)

#46. Chattooga County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,602 people (389 unemployed)

#45. Stephens County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,629 people (434 unemployed)

#44. Seminole County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,153 people (132 unemployed)

#43. Lanier County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,876 people (163 unemployed)

#42. Dooly County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,624 people (192 unemployed)

#41. Macon County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 4,767 people (199 unemployed)

#40. Putnam County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,320 people (393 unemployed)

#39. Peach County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,334 people (516 unemployed)

#38. Coffee County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,339 people (814 unemployed)

#37. Whitfield County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,883 people (1,862 unemployed)

#36. Jeff Davis County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,302 people (268 unemployed)

#35. Dodge County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,402 people (320 unemployed)

#34. Mitchell County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,298 people (353 unemployed)

#33. Elbert County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,503 people (367 unemployed)

#32. Polk County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,438 people (840 unemployed)

#31. Rockdale County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,379 people (1,974 unemployed)

#30. Webster County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,032 people (45 unemployed)

#29. Spalding County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,215 people (1,337 unemployed)

#28. Bibb County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 66,005 people (2,953 unemployed)

#27. Taylor County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,789 people (127 unemployed)

#26. Emanuel County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,277 people (431 unemployed)

#25. Dougherty County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,744 people (1,679 unemployed)

#24. Newton County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,917 people (2,546 unemployed)

#23. Jenkins County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,412 people (159 unemployed)

#22. Turner County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,462 people (161 unemployed)

#21. Murray County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,739 people (747 unemployed)

#20. Muscogee County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 76,472 people (3,568 unemployed)

#19. Randolph County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,398 people (116 unemployed)

#18. Washington County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,218 people (346 unemployed)

#17. Sumter County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,677 people (604 unemployed)

#16. Clayton County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 143,727 people (6,831 unemployed)

#15. Taliaferro County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 586 people (29 unemployed)

#14. Ben Hill County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,677 people (277 unemployed)

#13. Chattahoochee County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,949 people (98 unemployed)

#12. Jefferson County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,957 people (351 unemployed)

#11. Wheeler County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,811 people (92 unemployed)

#10. Terrell County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,547 people (183 unemployed)

#9. Twiggs County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,747 people (145 unemployed)

#8. McDuffie County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,493 people (456 unemployed)

#7. Richmond County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,738 people (4,719 unemployed)

#6. Burke County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,153 people (528 unemployed)

#5. Screven County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,952 people (291 unemployed)

#4. Telfair County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,353 people (212 unemployed)

#3. Hancock County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,660 people (170 unemployed)

#2. Quitman County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 752 people (54 unemployed)

#1. Clay County

- November unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 886 people (67 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Elena Cox, writing by Alizah Salario, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.