Cobb County's jobless rate was 3.2% in August, down from 3.4% a year earlier, as about 10,900 more residents had jobs. Georgia was 3.4%, Fulton County 3.5%.
Cobb County’s unemployment rate was 3.2% in August, down from 3.4% in August 2025. About 10,900 more county residents had jobs than a year earlier, and about 600 fewer were out of work.
The figures are the preliminary August estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. They are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
East Cobb has no city government, and the BLS does not publish a rate for it. The Cobb County figure is the closest measure for East Cobb households.
Cobb against its neighbors
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Cobb County | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Gwinnett County | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Fulton County | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| DeKalb County | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Cherokee County, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Fulton County, DeKalb County and the United States.
Every area on the list ran lower than a year ago. Cobb matched Gwinnett and sat below the statewide rate. Cherokee County, which borders East Cobb to the north, had the lowest rate of the group. Fulton County, across the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs and Roswell, was higher at 3.5%.
The numbers behind the rate
In Cobb County in August, according to the BLS:
- 429,997 people were in the labor force, up from 419,683 a year earlier.
- 416,419 people had jobs, up from 405,500.
- 13,578 people were unemployed, down from 14,183.
The labor force counts people who have a job or are looking for one. The unemployment rate is the share of the labor force without a job and looking for one. These are counts of Cobb residents, wherever they work, not of jobs located in the county.
The past year, month by month
Cobb’s rate moved between 2.6% and 3.4% over the year. It was lowest in April and highest in August and November 2025.
| Month | Cobb County rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 3.4% |
| September 2025 | 3.1% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 3.4% |
| December 2025 | 3.1% |
| January 2026 | 3.3% |
| February 2026 | 3.3% |
| March 2026 | 3.1% |
| April 2026 | 2.6% |
| May 2026 | 2.9% |
| June 2026 | 3.2% |
| July 2026 | 3.0% |
| August 2026 | 3.2% (preliminary) |
Because the figures are not seasonally adjusted, a change from one month to the next can reflect the season, not a change in the job market. There is no October 2025 figure. The BLS lists the month as “data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations,” the federal government shutdown that fall.
What it means for you
- If you are looking for work, the Georgia Department of Labor’s EmployGeorgia job board lists openings across Cobb County.
- The August numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- September’s figures for the county come in the next BLS monthly release. We will update this story when they are out.
- For more on the local economy, see our pages on new businesses and home prices.
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