The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Valdosta was unchanged at 9.3 percent from August to September. The preliminary August rate was 9.2 percent, but was revised up one-tenth of a percentage point. The jobless rate in metro Valdosta in September a year ago was 8.6 percent.

The lowest area rates, at 8.0 percent, were recorded in Athens and Warner Robins, while the highest, at 12.5 percent, was in metro Dalton.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.3 percent in September, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 10.2 percent in August. The state’s jobless rate was also 10.2 percent in September a year ago.

The rate increased due to Georgia losing jobs in September and many new job seekers continuously being unable to find work. The number of jobs in Georgia decreased 15,100, or four-tenths of a percentage point, from August to 3,793,200. Most of the loss was among seasonal workers in leisure and hospitality.

September is the 50th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent.