Atlanta unemployment doubles in one year

Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent in February, the state Labor Department said Thursday.

That’s up from January’s revised rate of 8.6 percent and more than double the 4.1 percent rate of a year earlier. It is the same as the state’s overall rate.

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“The latest local unemployment rates reflect the severity of the ongoing recession in Georgia,” said Michael Thurmond, state labor commissioner.

Metro Atlanta’s jobless rate is the third-highest among the state’s metro areas.

The Dalton area in northwest Georgia has the highest rate, 12.9 percent, followed by Rome at 10.1 percent.

Rural Georgia is seeing a bleaker picture: Of the state’s 159 counties, 87 reported unemployment of 10 percent or more, while 32 others had at least 9 percent joblessness. Most are in east Georgia, in a band stretching from Elbert, east of Athens, to Charlton, on the Florida border.

The worst rate is in Jenkins County, between Augusta and Statesboro, where joblessness has hit 21.3 percent. The county has a labor force of 2,762 people, with 589 of them unemployed, the Labor Department said.

“That is Depression-era unemployment,” Thurmond said.

Four other counties have rates of 15 percent or more: Hancock, 19.1 percent; Warren, 16.8 percent; Ben Hill, 15.7 percent; and Irwin, 15.2 percent.

The lowest metro area rate is in Athens, at 7.3 percent, and the lowest county rate is Oconee’s 6 percent.

Georgia metro area unemployment rates:

Dalton, 12.9%

Rome, 10.1%

Atlanta, 9.3%

Augusta, 9.2%

Macon, 9.2%

Gainesville, 8.9%

Columbus, 8.8%

Albany, 8.7%

Valdosta, 8.5%

Hinesville, 8.2%

Savannah, 8.0%

Warner Robins, 7.4%

Athens, 7.3%