Cherokee's Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.7%

Cherokee County's unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent in March, a decrease of two tenths of a percent from February's rate.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate declined to 7.9 percent in March from 8.3 percent in February. The rate was 8.9 percent in March a year ago.

The rate declined because of an increase in the number of jobs and fewer new layoffs.

Cherokee County's unemployment rate continued its downward trend last month. The rate in March dropped to 6.7 percent, down slightly from 6.9 percent in February and 7.5 in March 2012. 

Out of the county's 115,212 workers, 7,662 went without jobs last month, which is less than were counted as unemployed in February this year and March  2012.

Cherokee's rate is the second lowest in the region, just behind Forsyth's rate of 6.1 percent. 

Other surrounding counties in the metro Atlanta area include: 

County                Rate
Bartow                 8.2%
Cherokee             6.7
Cobb                    7.1
Douglas                8.4
Forsyth                 6.1
Fulton                   8.5
Paulding                7.6
Metro Atlanta         7.9

Georgia                 8.4

The number of jobs in metro Atlanta increased to 2,381,200, up by 13,100 from 2,368,100 in February. Most of the growth came in leisure and hospitality, 5,900; administrative and support services, 4,600; and professional and business services, 4,200. The number of government jobs declined by 1,400.