The last bit of economic data for 2025 was just released for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The unemployment rate has risen from 4.1% in September to 4.5% in December. This is the highest unemployment rate across the fourteen Georgia MSAs.
There may be a good reason why Augusta “finished last.”
As I previously reported, the Augusta MSA had the largest increase in employment, and the rising unemployment rate may just reflect people entering the workforce to find jobs in a relatively strong economy.
This is borne out by the fact that the Augusta MSA labor force has grown by 0.8 percent in the last year. This was the largest increase across the fourteen MSAs, with eight MSAs seeing a decrease in their workforce.
Putting all this data into the Augusta Labor Market Index (LMI), we find the labor market improved one percent last year, slightly slower than the state average, due to the rising unemployment rate. Savannah and Gainesville grew the fastest, while the labor markets of Brunswick, Columbus, and Macon deteriorated.
