Cherokee's Unemployment Rate Rises

Despite the 8,321 people not working in the county, it still has a lower unemployment rate than the Georgia or metro Atlanta averages.

Cherokee County's Jobless Rate Rises to 7.2%

Despite the 8,321 people not working in the county, it still has a lower unemployment rate than the Georgia or metro Atlanta averages.

Cherokee County's 8,321 jobless people aren't likely to care that the north metro county has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state calculated to be 7.2 percent in January. The counties with lower unemployment – other than neighboring Forsyth County – have populations anywhere from half to less than 10 percent of the population of Cherokee County, with a correspondingly lower labor force. Cherokee County's labor force was 116,088 in January, or 110 fewer than in December 2012. The unemployment rate rose in January from 6.9 percent the month before. A year earlier the Cherokee unemployment rate was much worse at 7.8 percent and with 8,902 people jobless. Closer to home, signs that the economy may be turning around are visible in …

• Photos (2)
• Videos (1)