Georgia's 7.9 percent unemployment rate for the month of September is again ranked highest in the nation, according to a federal report released this morning.

The state’s jobless rate has been thrust into the center of Gov. Nathan Deal’s re-election campaign, and his opponents were eagerly awaiting the latest numbers. Democrat Jason Carter contends the metric is a sign that Deal’s jobs plan isn’t working, while the governor calls the statistic an “outlier” that doesn’t accurately gauge the state’s economic health.

"Unemployment rates are only good for political advertising," Deal said at Sunday's debate. "Economists don't pay any attention to them."

Georgia had the nation's highest jobless rate for the month of August after a surprising increase to 8.1 percent. The governor has suggested that politicking was behind the "historically faulty" data used for the rankings.

Unemployment rates for states monthly rankings

Seasonally adjusted for Sept. 2014

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Chip Carter, a son of the late President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, with longtime family caregiver and nanny, Mary Prince. "She's just family," Carter said. Plains, Georgia, July 2, 2025. (Courtesy of Chuck Williams)

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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff waves to a crowd of supporters during his "Rally For Our Republic" event on Saturday, July 12, 2025, inside the Kehoe Iron Works building at Trustees Garden in Savannah. During his speech, Ossoff said, "What’s happening to our country right now should chill us to the bone." (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)

Credit: Sarah Peacock for the AJC