Cherokee County Sees Increase in Unemployment Rate

Sign up for the Canton-Sixes Patch newsletter!

---

CANTON, GA -- The jobless rate in Cherokee County rose slightly last month, according to figures released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

The county's rate climbed to 4.4 percent in February from 4.2 percent in January. Cherokee's unemployment rate in February 2015 was 4.8 percent.

Unemployment rates for surrounding counties include: Bartow at 5.3 percent; Cobb at 4.8 percent; Dawson at 4.8 percent; Forsyth at 4.2 percent; Fulton at 5.6 percent; and Pickens at 5.2 percent. 

At the regional level, the metro Atlanta unemployment rate also climbed two-tenths of a percent from 5.1 in January to 5.3 in February.

The rate in February 2015 was 6 percent. GDOL states the rate rose due to the increase in the number of unemployed residents growing by 5,931, as the labor force increasing by 20,305.

At the same time, the number of jobs increased by 7,700, or 0.3 percent, to 2,606,500 from 2,598,800 in January. Most of the increase came in professional and business services, 6,700; government, 2,800; and health care and social assistance, 2,400. The overall job gains were somewhat offset by losses in trade, transportation and warehousing and financial activities.

And, over the year, metro Atlanta gained 72,500 jobs, a 2.9 percent growth rate, up from 2,534,000 in February 2015 Most of the job gains came in trade, transportation and warehousing, 18,900; professional and business services, 15,400; and leisure and hospitality, 13,900.

Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 5.4 percent, unchanged from January. It was 6.2 percent in February 2015.

Please note that local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

Patch editor Tim Darnell contributed to this article.