ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said last week that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Hinesville area declined to 8.8 percent in February, down two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 9.0 percent in January.
The jobless rate in the metro Hinesville area in February 2010 also was 8.8 percent. 
The rate declined because the number of jobs increased by 200, and there were fewer layoffs in construction and administrative and support services.  
Unemployment rates decreased in 20 of the state’s 25 local areas, with five area rates remaining unchanged. At 7.7 percent, metro Athens recorded the state’s lowest rate, while metro Dalton had the highest at 12.2 percent.  
Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 10.2 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point, from a revised 10.3 percent in January. The state’s jobless rate also was 10.3 percent in February 2010.
February marked the 41st consecutive month that Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which currently is 8.9 percent.
Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.