Metro Atlanta Unemployment Drops To 5.1 Percent

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Job seekers in the capital of the Peach State are having luck finding a place to pick up a paycheck.

The unemployment rate in metro Atlanta for July was 5.1 percent, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.



That’s down .2 points from June and nearly a full point from July 2015.

The data shows more than 31,000 people returned to Atlanta’s workforce last year.

“Individuals out there are being encouraged by what they’re seeing in the job market and they’re turning back to the job search,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.

Butler also says metro Atlanta gained nearly 75,000 jobs over the past year.

Statewide, metro Gainesville had the lowest area unemployment rate at 4.6 percent, while the heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7 percent.