Alpharetta's jobless rate was 2.8% in August, down from 3.1% a year earlier, as 644 more residents had jobs. Fulton County was 3.5% and Georgia 3.4%.
Alpharetta’s unemployment rate was 2.8% in August, down from 3.1% in August 2025. About 644 more city residents had jobs than a year earlier, and about 100 fewer were out of work.
The figures are the preliminary August estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The BLS publishes a separate rate for Alpharetta, not only for Fulton County. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
Alpharetta against its neighbors
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Milton | 2.6% | 2.9% |
| Sandy Springs | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| Alpharetta | 2.8% | 3.1% |
| Roswell | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Johns Creek | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Fulton County | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Milton, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Georgia, Fulton County and the United States.
Alpharetta’s rate was below the county, state and national rates. Milton, about six miles north, was lower at 2.6%. So was Sandy Springs, about 11 miles south, at 2.7%. Roswell, about five miles south, was 2.9%, and Johns Creek, about five miles east, was 3.2%.
Alpharetta’s drop of 0.3 points from a year earlier matched Milton’s and was the largest in the group. Roswell and Sandy Springs were unchanged.
The numbers behind the rate
In Alpharetta in August, according to the BLS:
- 37,155 people were in the labor force, up from 36,612 a year earlier.
- 36,122 people had jobs, up from 35,478.
- 1,033 people were unemployed, down from 1,134.
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 Alpharetta residents, wherever they work. They are not counts of the jobs in the city’s office parks.
The past year, month by month
Alpharetta’s rate moved between 2.5% and 3.1% over the year. It was lowest in April and highest in August 2025, January and February.
| Month | Alpharetta rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 3.1% |
| September 2025 | 2.9% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 3.0% |
| December 2025 | 2.8% |
| January 2026 | 3.1% |
| February 2026 | 3.1% |
| March 2026 | 2.9% |
| April 2026 | 2.5% |
| May 2026 | 2.7% |
| June 2026 | 3.0% |
| July 2026 | 2.6% |
| August 2026 | 2.8% (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 Alpharetta.
- The August numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- September’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 and home prices.
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