The Athens and Gainesville metro areas have the lowest unemployment rates in Georgia, according to new numbers released Thursday by the state Labor Department.

Athens continues to post the best numbers, with a 6.5 percent jobless rate in April. The Gainesville area is at 6.9 percent.

Only Rome (10.1 percent) and Dalton (11.4 percent) had unemployment above 10 percent. The Brunswick region was close, at 9.7 percent.

Labor officials reported last week that the state’s overall unemployment dropped to 8.9 percent, the first time it’s been below 9 percent in more than three years.

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