Area unemployment rate up in June

The jobless numbers are now in for the month of June and as expected, unemployment has soared in the Coosa Valley region. Here in Polk County, 11.3% of the workforce was without jobs last month, that’s 2,425 people unemployed. The worst of the unemployment rates were reported in Chattooga and Gordon counties. Gordon reported a staggering 13.6% rate of unemployment among its workforce of 9,533. Chattooga wasn’t far behind with a 13.2% unemployment rate in the month of June. In other area counties, Bartow came in with a 12.5% jobless rate, and Floyd had 11.4% unemployment. Overall in Georgia, the jobless rate has reached double digits at 10.5%, the highest in decades.