Jobless Rate Drops in Cherokee County

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The unemployment rate declined slightly last month in Cherokee County and the rest of metro Atlanta, according to Georgia Department of Labor data released Thursday.

The jobless rate in the county fell two-tenth of a percentage point to 4.5 percent, down from 4.7 in August. Cherokee County’s rate in September 2014 was 5.5 percent.

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How does Cherokee County compare up to its neighbors? Unemployment rates for surrounding counties include: Bartow at 5.5 percent; Cobb at 4.9 percent; Dawson at 4.9 percent; Forsyth at 4.4 percent; Fulton at 5.8 percent; and Pickens at 5 percent.

The metro Atlanta rate for September was 5.5 percent, also down one-tenth from the previous month. The rate was 6.7 percent a year ago.

The state labor department said the decline was due to more people finding work and fewer workers being laid off.

The number of employed increased to 2,654,589 from 2,652,187 in August. Also, the number of new layoffs, as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance, declined 4.6 percent, to 12,742 in September.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate last month in Georgia at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for September was 5.8 percent, unchanged from August.

Note: Local area unemployment data is not seasonally adjusted. You can click here to view the latest unemployment in cities, counties and regions across the state.

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