Counties in Georgia by unemployment rate

Quitman County had the highest unemployment rate of 159 counties in January 2026, at 7.8%. Oconee County had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 3.6% and the figure for Georgia was 3.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7.8Quitman County
Lowest2.5Oconee County
Median3.6159 counties
Georgia3.5History

Top 40 counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Quitman CountyQuitman County: 7.8 %7.8Chattahoochee CountyChattahoochee County: 7 %7Clay CountyClay County: 6.7 %6.7Stewart CountyStewart County: 6.5 %6.5Burke CountyBurke County: 5.6 %5.6Dougherty CountyDougherty County: 5.3 %5.3Hancock CountyHancock County: 5.3 %5.3Richmond CountyRichmond County: 5.3 %5.3Telfair CountyTelfair County: 5.3 %5.3Terrell CountyTerrell County: 5.3 %5.3Early CountyEarly County: 5 %5Sumter CountySumter County: 5 %5Seminole CountySeminole County: 4.9 %4.9Talbot CountyTalbot County: 4.8 %4.8Taliaferro CountyTaliaferro County: 4.8 %4.8Treutlen CountyTreutlen County: 4.8 %4.8Baker CountyBaker County: 4.7 %4.7Clayton CountyClayton County: 4.7 %4.7Macon CountyMacon County: 4.7 %4.7McDuffie CountyMcDuffie County: 4.7 %4.7Muscogee CountyMuscogee County: 4.7 %4.7Toombs CountyToombs County: 4.7 %4.7Stephens CountyStephens County: 4.6 %4.6Warren CountyWarren County: 4.6 %4.6Bibb CountyBibb County: 4.5 %4.5Jeff Davis CountyJeff Davis County: 4.5 %4.5Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 4.5 %4.5Twiggs CountyTwiggs County: 4.5 %4.5Ben Hill CountyBen Hill County: 4.4 %4.4Meriwether CountyMeriwether County: 4.4 %4.4Webster CountyWebster County: 4.4 %4.4Appling CountyAppling County: 4.3 %4.3Lamar CountyLamar County: 4.3 %4.3Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 4.3 %4.3Newton CountyNewton County: 4.3 %4.3Putnam CountyPutnam County: 4.3 %4.3Rockdale CountyRockdale County: 4.3 %4.3Ware CountyWare County: 4.3 %4.3Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 4.3 %4.3Wilkinson CountyWilkinson County: 4.3 %4.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Quitman County7.8+1.6 pts
2Chattahoochee County7-1.4 pts
3Clay County6.7+1.1 pts
4Stewart County6.5+0.7 pts
5Burke County5.6+0.4 pts
6Dougherty County5.3+0.5 pts
6Hancock County5.3-0.1 pts
6Richmond County5.3+0.4 pts
6Telfair County5.3-0.2 pts
6Terrell County5.3-0.1 pts
11Early County5+0.7 pts
11Sumter County5+0.1 pts
13Seminole County4.9+0.5 pts
14Talbot County4.8+0.2 pts
14Taliaferro County4.8+0.9 pts
14Treutlen County4.8+0.2 pts
17Baker County4.7+0.1 pts
17Clayton County4.7+0.4 pts
17Macon County4.7+0.6 pts
17McDuffie County4.7+0.3 pts
17Muscogee County4.7+0.3 pts
17Toombs County4.7+0.2 pts
23Stephens County4.6+0.5 pts
23Warren County4.6+0.4 pts
25Bibb County4.5+0.2 pts
25Jeff Davis County4.5-0.2 pts
25Jefferson County4.5+0.2 pts
25Twiggs County4.5-0.3 pts
29Ben Hill County4.4+0.3 pts
29Meriwether County4.40 pts
29Webster County4.4+0.2 pts
32Appling County4.3+0.2 pts
32Lamar County4.3+0.2 pts
32Montgomery County4.3-0.3 pts
32Newton County4.3+0.2 pts
32Putnam County4.3+0.7 pts
32Rockdale County4.3+0.2 pts
32Ware County4.3-0.1 pts
32Wilkes County4.3+0.7 pts
32Wilkinson County4.3+0.2 pts
41Chattooga County4.2+0.2 pts
41Coffee County4.2+0.1 pts
41Lincoln County4.2+0.2 pts
41Murray County4.2+0.3 pts
41Whitfield County4.2-0.1 pts
46Henry County4.1+0.4 pts
46Liberty County4.1+0.2 pts
46Lowndes County4.1+0.2 pts
46Taylor County4.10 pts
46Washington County4.1+0.2 pts
51Baldwin County4+0.2 pts
51Douglas County4+0.3 pts
51Emanuel County40 pts
51Peach County40 pts
51Spalding County4+0.1 pts
56Brooks County3.9+0.3 pts
56Clinch County3.90 pts
56Dooly County3.9+0.2 pts
56Mitchell County3.9+0.1 pts
56Pierce County3.9+0.1 pts
61DeKalb County3.8+0.2 pts
61Fulton County3.8+0.2 pts
61Heard County3.8+0.3 pts
61Lanier County3.8-0.4 pts
61Laurens County3.8-0.2 pts
61Long County3.8+0.3 pts
61Screven County3.8-0.2 pts
68Greene County3.7-0.4 pts
68Schley County3.7+0.4 pts
68Turner County3.7-0.5 pts
71Atkinson County3.6+0.3 pts
71Bulloch County3.6+0.2 pts
71Butts County3.6+0.2 pts
71Crisp County3.6+0.2 pts
71Dade County3.60 pts
71Elbert County3.6-0.4 pts
71Floyd County3.6+0.2 pts
71Randolph County3.6-0.6 pts
71Towns County3.6-0.2 pts
71Union County3.6-0.1 pts
71Upson County3.6-0.5 pts
82Carroll County3.5+0.2 pts
82Crawford County3.5-0.1 pts
82Decatur County3.50 pts
82Franklin County3.50 pts
82Irwin County3.5+0.2 pts
82Jones County3.5+0.1 pts
82Lumpkin County3.5+0.1 pts
82Marion County3.5-0.1 pts
82Tattnall County3.5-0.1 pts
82Wayne County3.50 pts
82Worth County3.5+0.1 pts
93Cook County3.40 pts
93Fayette County3.4+0.1 pts
93Gordon County3.4+0.1 pts
93Haralson County3.4+0.4 pts
93Hart County3.4-0.1 pts
93Jasper County3.4-0.1 pts
93Johnson County3.4+0.1 pts
93McIntosh County3.40 pts
93Paulding County3.4+0.2 pts
93Polk County3.40 pts
93Pulaski County3.4+0.1 pts
93Rabun County3.4-0.3 pts
93Tift County3.4+0.4 pts
93Walker County3.4+0.3 pts
107Bacon County3.3+0.2 pts
107Bartow County3.3+0.1 pts
107Bleckley County3.3-0.2 pts
107Brantley County3.3+0.1 pts
107Charlton County3.3-0.3 pts
107Clarke County3.3-0.1 pts
107Cobb County3.3+0.1 pts
107Columbia County3.30 pts
107Dodge County3.3-0.1 pts
107Gwinnett County3.3+0.2 pts
107Monroe County3.3+0.3 pts
107Thomas County3.3+0.2 pts
107Troup County3.3+0.1 pts
107Walton County3.3+0.1 pts
121Banks County3.2+0.3 pts
121Berrien County3.2-0.2 pts
121Candler County3.2-0.1 pts
121Catoosa County3.2+0.1 pts
121Evans County3.2+0.2 pts
121Harris County3.2-0.1 pts
121Jackson County3.2+0.3 pts
121Jenkins County3.2-0.5 pts
121Madison County3.2+0.2 pts
130Camden County3.10 pts
130Chatham County3.1+0.2 pts
130Colquitt County3.1-0.1 pts
130Coweta County3.10 pts
130Fannin County3.1-0.3 pts
130Glascock County3.10 pts
130Grady County3.1-0.2 pts
130Pike County3.1+0.2 pts
138Barrow County3+0.2 pts
138Gilmer County30 pts
138Glynn County30 pts
138Hall County3+0.2 pts
138Houston County30 pts
138Miller County30 pts
138Wheeler County3+0.4 pts
138White County3-0.2 pts
138Wilcox County3-0.4 pts
147Bryan County2.9+0.1 pts
147Cherokee County2.9+0.1 pts
147Echols County2.90 pts
147Habersham County2.9-0.1 pts
147Lee County2.9+0.1 pts
147Morgan County2.9-0.1 pts
147Oglethorpe County2.90 pts
147Pickens County2.9-0.1 pts
155Calhoun County2.8-0.3 pts
155Dawson County2.8+0.1 pts
155Effingham County2.8+0.2 pts
155Forsyth County2.8+0.1 pts
159Oconee County2.5-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Quitman County, with 7.8% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Oconee County, with 2.5% in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Georgia: more rankings