Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta tied in October its record for lowest unemployment rate ever.
 
According to preliminary data, Augusta also ended October with more employed residents. The seven-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA) also maintained yearly gains in jobs and labor force.
 
“In October we had eight local communities set a total of 13 new records,” Butler said. “We increased jobs, employment and added to our labor force in virtually all of our major markets.”
 
Nationally, the unemployment rate climbed in October to 3.6 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew its labor force by 325,000, increased employment by 241,000 and added more 125,000 jobs.
 
Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in October by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent. That tied Georgia’s all-time low set in December of 2000.
 
Rates fell or held steady across all 11 of Georgia’s 14 MSAs. Four set a record for lowest rate ever.
 
In Augusta, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in October at 3 percent. That tied Augusta’s record low. A year ago, the rate was 3.9 percent.
 
Augusta ended October with 244,900 jobs. The jobs number rose by 2,100 in October. The number is up by 3,000 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The labor force increased in October by 2,111 to reach 268,614. That number has gone up by 1,776 when compared to October of 2018.
 
Augusta ended October with 260,473 employed residents.  That number increased by 1,962 over the month and increased by 4,061 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The number of unemployment claims went down by about 7 percent in October. When compared to last October, claims were down by about 21 percent.
 
The seven-county MSA includes the counties of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond and Aiken and Edgefield in South Carolina.