April 21, 2025

The Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased 0.2 percent in February from January. It is 0.9 percent higher than a year ago. The largest change was seen in initial claims for unemployment insurance, which declined by 65 percent on the month. Initial claims for unemployment insurance often fall in February, but there were just 653 new claims in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in February, the lowest since November 2019. The percentage decline was greater than the state of Georgia as a whole, which saw claims fall by 40