Duluth's jobless rate was 3.3% in September, up from 3.2% a year earlier, as 304 more residents had jobs. Gwinnett County was also 3.3% and Georgia 3.5%.
Duluth’s unemployment rate was 3.3% in September, up from 3.2% in September 2025. About 304 more city residents had jobs than a year earlier. About 34 more were out of work, because the labor force grew a little faster than the number of people employed.
The figures are the preliminary September estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The BLS publishes a separate rate for Duluth, not only for Gwinnett County. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
Duluth against its neighbors
| Area | September 2026 | September 2025 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peachtree Corners | 2.9% | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| Sugar Hill | 2.9% | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Duluth | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Johns Creek | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.2% |
| Gwinnett County | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.2% |
| Georgia | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Lawrenceville | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| United States | 4.0% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Peachtree Corners, Sugar Hill, Johns Creek, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Lawrenceville and the United States.
Duluth matched the Gwinnett County rate and was below the state and national rates. Peachtree Corners, about five miles southwest, and Sugar Hill, about nine miles northeast, were lower at 2.9%. Johns Creek, about four miles northwest across the Chattahoochee River in Fulton County, matched Duluth at 3.3%. Lawrenceville, the county seat about 10 miles east, was 3.6%.
Every city in the table rose from a year earlier. Duluth’s rise of 0.1 point was the smallest, level with Gwinnett County and Georgia. Peachtree Corners rose 0.4 points. The national rate fell 0.3 points.
The BLS does not publish monthly figures for Norcross or Suwanee, which are below the population size it covers at city level.
The numbers behind the rate
In Duluth in September, according to the BLS:
- 19,219 people were in the labor force, up from 18,881 a year earlier.
- 18,586 people had jobs, up from 18,282.
- 633 people were unemployed, up from 599.
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 Duluth residents, wherever they work. They are not counts of the jobs along Satellite Boulevard or Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
Across Gwinnett County, 17,816 people were unemployed in September, up from 16,736 a year earlier. The number with jobs rose to 514,227 from 505,817.
The past year, month by month
Duluth’s rate moved between 2.7% and 3.4% over the year. It was lowest in April and July and highest in February.
| Month | Duluth rate |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | 3.2% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 3.2% |
| December 2025 | 2.9% |
| January 2026 | 3.3% |
| February 2026 | 3.4% |
| March 2026 | 3.0% |
| April 2026 | 2.7% |
| May 2026 | 2.8% |
| June 2026 | 2.9% |
| July 2026 | 2.7% |
| August 2026 | 3.1% |
| September 2026 | 3.3% (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 in and around Duluth.
- The September numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- October’s figures for the city 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, home prices and building permits and zoning.
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