Johns Creek recorded a 3.3% unemployment rate in September, the highest among seven North Atlanta cities tracked in Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) estimates.
The rate edged up from 3.2% in August and 3.1% a year earlier, according to a North Atlanta Star analysis of the state data published Nov. 1. Brookhaven posted the lowest rate at 2.5%.
The gap comes down to math. Johns Creek's labor force grew by 808 residents over the year, but employment rose by only 697. That left 111 more residents looking for work and pushed the rate higher.
Here is how all seven cities compared in September:
City | Sept. 2026 | Aug. 2026 | Sept. 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
Brookhaven | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
Sandy Springs | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.5% |
Dunwoody | 2.7% | 2.9% | 2.8% |
Alpharetta | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.9% |
Milton | 2.9% | 2.6% | 2.7% |
Roswell | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.7% |
Johns Creek | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs saw monthly declines. Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell and Johns Creek all ticked upward.
All seven cities had more employed residents than a year earlier, the GDOL data showed. The figures count people by where they live, not where they work.
The numbers carry important caveats. September figures are preliminary, and earlier months are revised. The rates are not seasonally adjusted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines unemployment as people without work who are available and actively looking, along with those awaiting recall from a temporary layoff. The rates do not measure pay, available hours or whether workers found jobs matching their experience.
Small monthly changes can reflect seasonal patterns and should not be treated as a lasting hiring trend, the North Atlanta Star noted.
Broader metro picture
Across the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metro area, unemployment reached 3.5% in September, up from 3.4% both in August and a year earlier, according to a separate North Atlanta Star report on metro-level data. The metro labor force grew by about 69,140 people over the year to nearly 3.39 million.
The metro area held roughly 3.1 million payroll jobs in September, down 2,700 from a year earlier. The BLS classified that change as not statistically significant. Health care and social assistance added 15,000 jobs over the year, while professional, scientific and technical services lost 7,600.
Medley adds workers, not necessarily residents
Johns Creek's employment picture gained a visible anchor in August when Boehringer Ingelheim moved about 500 employees into 73,000 square feet at Medley, the mixed-use development that opened Oct. 29. The animal-health company relocated its U.S. headquarters from Duluth, according to the Johns Creek Magazine.
That move does not represent 500 new jobs. It shifts an existing workforce into Johns Creek. And because unemployment figures count residents, not workplaces, the relocation would affect the city's rate only if those employees also live in Johns Creek.
Medley's office space opened fully leased, with healthcare software company Brightree taking another 17,751 square feet alongside a third tenant that has not been named.
The next round of GDOL estimates will show whether October's numbers shift as Medley's broader retail and restaurant phases continue opening.
