May 29, 2020–7:40 a.m.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Rome’s unemployment rate jumped to 13.5% in April, according to preliminary numbers from the Georgia Department of Labor.
The jobless rate in Rome was 4.5% in March and 3.2% in April of last year.
Chattooga County saw the largest increase at 17.1%, up from 5.6% the month before and 3.5% in April of 2019.
Bartow County saw its unemployment rate rise to 14.8%, compared to 4.3% in March and 2.9% this time last year.
Gordon County’s jobless rate was up from 3.9% in March to 12.7% in April. It was 2.8% in April of 2019.
And Polk County checked in at 11.9%, up from 4.8% the month before and 3.2% from last year.
The increase in unemployment rates are attributed to layoffs due to the Coronavirus pandemic.