The unemployment rate in Troup County has dropped a full percentage point compared to October 2016, according to figures released last week by State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.

The newest figures show Troup County’s unemployment rate at 4.1 percent, well down from a year ago, but up slightly from September’s 3.9 percent mark. The labor force was at 37,064, with 35,562 people employed.

“The economy of LaGrange and Troup County is thriving,” said Mayor Jim Thornton.

“The current unemployment rate is very low by anyone’s standard and shows that good jobs are here and our residents are taking advantage of them. I’m very pleased.”

The number of unemployed people dropped from 1,802 October 2016 to 1,502 in October 2017.

Over the last month, the Three Rivers region saw its number of unemployed residents increase slightly in October too but not enough to make the area’s jobless rate increase.

The October unemployment rate for the region was at 4.3 percent, unchanged from September. The number of unemployed residents increased by 67 to 10,721. The October rate compares favorably to last year when the rate was 5.7 percent.

“We see seasonal and even monthly variations in these numbers,” Butler said. “So, it’s not uncommon to see them rise or fall month to month. It’s more important to look at the trends over time. And, Three Rivers’ numbers over the past 12 months remain strong.”

The number of employed residents decreased by 1,136 in that time to 236,095. However, there were 7,430 more employed residents in the area than in October 2016.

Unemployment claims were up by 30 percent to 1,122. Claims were up in administrative and support services. When compared to last October, claims were down by 7.3 percent from 1,210.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,757 new active job postings in the Three Rivers area for October.

The Georgia Department of Labor tracks labor force data for the state, 37 cities with populations of 25,000 or more, all 159 counties, 14 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and 11 regional commission (RC) areas.