Georgia Unemployment rate By County: Highest 17.6%

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2 min read

Last updated September 28, 2026

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released the latest unemployment rates. Georgia saw a very slight downtick from 8.1% to 7.9% but is still at the very bottom of the entire country and sits at 51st place (the list includes D.C.) Many areas of the state have rates far higher than the state average.The average unemployment rate for the country as a whole is 5.9%.

Unemployment Rate By Counties

Below you can see a list of all 159 counties in Georgia. Some counties have small populations and others are very large. But it is abundantly clear that the vast majority of the state are well above the state average which is itself well above the national unemployment average. 110 out of 159 counties are above the 7.9% state average. This data was provided by the University of Georgia with data supplied by the Bureau of Labor. You can view more detailed breakdowns here and sort by other factors and drill down the data even further.

Here are the most populous 15 counties sorted by population. All 159 Counties Sorted by Highest to Lowest Unemployment Rates are below this chart.

1	Fulton County	8.9%
2	Gwinnett County	7.2%
3	Cobb County	7.4%
4	DeKalb County	8.4%
5	Chatham County	8.1%
6	Clayton County	9.9%
7	Cherokee County	6.6%
8	Henry County	7.8%
9	Muscogee County	9.3%
10	Richmond County	9.8%
11	Forsyth County	6.1%
12	Hall County	6.7%
13	Bibb County	9.0%
14	Houston County	9.4%
15	Paulding County	7.2%

1	Chattahoochee	17.6
2	Hancock	15.0
3	Telfair	14.4
4	Jenkins	14.2
5	Bleckley	14.1
6	Macon	14.0
7	Jefferson	13.3
8	Dooly	13.2
9	Warren	13.2
10	Treutlen	12.6
11	Johnson	12.3
12	Sumter	12.2
13	Randolph	12.1
14	Wilcox	12.1
15	Murray	11.7
16	Meriwether	11.6
17	Mcintosh	11.5
18	Irwin	11.4
19	Calhoun	11.3
20	Jeff_Davis	11.3
21	Dodge	11.2
22	Stewart	11.2
23	Charlton	11.1
24	Cook	11.0
25	Coffee	10.9
26	Wayne	10.9
27	Baldwin	10.8
28	Washington	10.8
29	Wheeler	10.8
30	Glascock	10.7
31	Mcduffie	10.7
32	Peach	10.7
33	Decatur	10.6
34	Emanuel	10.6
35	Ben_Hill	10.5
36	Crisp	10.5
37	Laurens	10.5
38	Dougherty	10.4
39	Upson	10.4
40	Atkinson	10.3
41	Taylor	10.3
42	Ware	10.3
43	Whitfield	10.3
44	Clinch	10.2
45	Quitman	10.2
46	Berrien	10.1
47	Wilkes	10.1
48	Burke	10.0
49	Clayton	9.9
50	Colquitt	9.9
51	Liberty	9.9
52	Toombs	9.9
53	Candler	9.8
54	Hart	9.8
55	Putnam	9.8
56	Richmond	9.8
57	Brantley	9.7
58	Spalding	9.7
59	Appling	9.6
60	Mitchell	9.6
61	Pulaski	9.6
62	Taliaferro	9.6
63	Clay	9.5
64	Houston	9.4
65	Rabun	9.4
66	Schley	9.4
67	Tattnall	9.4
68	Early	9.3
69	Lamar	9.3
70	Muscogee	9.3
71	Seminole	9.3
72	Chattooga	9.2
73	Screven	9.2
74	Twiggs	9.2
75	Rockdale	9.1
76	Bibb	9.0
77	Bulloch	9.0
78	Carroll	9.0
79	Elbert	9.0
80	Franklin	8.9
81	Fulton	8.9
82	Gordon	8.9
83	Heard	8.8
84	Newton	8.8
85	Glynn	8.7
86	Lincoln	8.7
87	Montgomery	8.7
88	Troup	8.7
89	Lowndes	8.6
90	Wilkinson	8.6
91	Camden	8.5
92	Floyd	8.5
93	Lumpkin	8.5
94	Terrell	8.5
95	Tift	8.5
96	Dekalb	8.4
97	Gilmer	8.4
98	Douglas	8.3
99	Fannin	8.3
100	Greene	8.3
101	Thomas	8.3
102	Bacon	8.2
103	Baker	8.1
104	Brooks	8.1
105	Chatham	8.1
106	Haralson	8.1
107	Talbot	8.1
108	Crawford	8.0
109	Pierce	8.0
110	Worth	8.0
111	Bartow	7.9
112	Grady	7.9
113	Jasper	7.9
114	Coweta	7.8
115	Evans	7.8
116	Henry	7.8
117	Polk	7.8
118	Lanier	7.7
119	Pike	7.7
120	Stephens	7.7
121	Fayette	7.6
122	Webster	7.6
123	Monroe	7.5
124	Walton	7.5
125	Barrow	7.4
126	Cobb	7.4
127	Habersham	7.4
128	Jackson	7.4
129	Jones	7.4
130	Turner	7.4
131	Dade	7.3
132	White	7.3
133	Gwinnett	7.2
134	Paulding	7.2
135	Towns	7.2
136	Bryan	7.1
137	Lee	7.0
138	Marion	7.0
139	Pickens	7.0
140	Walker	7.0
141	Clarke	6.8
142	Morgan	6.8
143	Effingham	6.7
144	Hall	6.7
145	Butts	6.6
146	Cherokee	6.6
147	Columbia	6.6
148	Dawson	6.6
149	Harris	6.6
150	Long	6.6
151	Banks	6.5
152	Catoosa	6.5
153	Union	6.4
154	Echols	6.2
155	Madison	6.2
156	Forsyth	6.1
157	Oglethorpe	6.0
158	Miller	5.9
159	Oconee	5.3

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