Counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia
The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Georgia, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 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: Jobs report reveals cooling labor market
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Georgia.
48. Stephens County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,413 people (410 unemployed)
48. Irwin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,585 people (140 unemployed)
48. Mitchell County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,138 people (320 unemployed)
40. Taylor County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,747 people (109 unemployed)
40. Cook County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,521 people (339 unemployed)
40. Towns County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,329 people (171 unemployed)
40. Baldwin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,914 people (723 unemployed)
40. Coffee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,117 people (764 unemployed)
40. Seminole County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,079 people (123 unemployed)
40. Jenkins County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,378 people (136 unemployed)
40. Early County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,106 people (164 unemployed)
36. Rockdale County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,397 people (1,901 unemployed)
36. Bleckley County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,104 people (210 unemployed)
36. Spalding County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,146 people (1,229 unemployed)
36. Peach County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,218 people (506 unemployed)
31. Jeff Davis County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,249 people (261 unemployed)
31. Macon County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,703 people (197 unemployed)
31. Upson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,802 people (497 unemployed)
31. Treutlen County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,730 people (114 unemployed)
31. Taliaferro County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 577 people (24 unemployed)
25. Bibb County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 65,939 people (2,827 unemployed)
25. Turner County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,412 people (147 unemployed)
25. Muscogee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 76,058 people (3,300 unemployed)
25. Meriwether County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,214 people (399 unemployed)
25. Newton County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,896 people (2,431 unemployed)
25. Dougherty County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,658 people (1,586 unemployed)
23. Washington County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,159 people (315 unemployed)
23. Wheeler County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,764 people (77 unemployed)
21. Jefferson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,855 people (307 unemployed)
21. Clayton County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 143,875 people (6,546 unemployed)
20. Terrell County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,512 people (162 unemployed)
19. Chattahoochee County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,931 people (90 unemployed)
18. Randolph County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,377 people (114 unemployed)
17. Sumter County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,483 people (613 unemployed)
14. McDuffie County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,466 people (425 unemployed)
14. Emanuel County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,250 people (462 unemployed)
14. Chattooga County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,649 people (486 unemployed)
13. Ben Hill County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,587 people (287 unemployed)
11. Twiggs County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,759 people (147 unemployed)
11. Richmond County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,589 people (4,393 unemployed)
10. Lanier County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,902 people (217 unemployed)
9. Burke County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,112 people (521 unemployed)
6. Hancock County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,589 people (151 unemployed)
6. Telfair County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,303 people (193 unemployed)
6. Quitman County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: -1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 730 people (42 unemployed)
5. Screven County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,903 people (296 unemployed)
4. Clay County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: -1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 838 people (55 unemployed)
3. Whitfield County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%
--- 1-month change: +2.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +3.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,825 people (3,153 unemployed)
2. Murray County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
--- 1-month change: +2.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +3.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,993 people (1,158 unemployed)
1. Berrien County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.5%
--- 1-month change: +5.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +4.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,578 people (819 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
