Unemployment Rate

The Athens metropolitan area recorded a 3.5% unemployment rate in June, according to data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

According to numbers released from the Georgia Labor Department, employment rose to more than 5,294,000, up more than 10,000 for the month and more than 65,000 for the year.

The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday that the four-county Athens Metropolitan Area saw growth in its labor force, employment and job numbers in February.

According to numbers released by the Georgia Department of Labor on Thursday, the four-county Athens Metropolitan Statistical Area had an unemployment rate of 3.1%, which is up two-tenths of a percent over the month.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced that the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.5% in January 2026, remaining below the national rate by 0.8 percentage points.

Unemployment dropped in metro Athens and all of Georgia’s 12 regional commissions over the month of December.

Georgia’s unemployment rate continues to hover below the national average. The state of Georgia ended 2025 with an unemployment rate of 3.6% for the month of December.

This was unchanged from August, and is one point lower than the national average. While the number of jobs decreased by over 3,000 in the month of September, the yearly total rose by over 24,000.

Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% last month, which is six-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate.

Employment is down in Athens and across Georgia, according to a report released by the Georgia Department of Labor.