Woodstock's jobless rate was 2.7% in September, up from 2.5% a year earlier, as 577 more residents had jobs. Cherokee County was 3.0% and Georgia 3.5%.
Woodstock’s unemployment rate was 2.7% in September, up from 2.5% in September 2025. More residents were working than a year earlier: 577 more had jobs. But the labor force grew faster, so 78 more people were out of work and looking.
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 the city of Woodstock, not only for Cherokee County. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
Woodstock against its neighbors
Woodstock’s rate was the lowest of the nearby cities the BLS tracks. It was also below the county, state and national rates.
| Area | September 2026 | September 2025 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodstock | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Milton | 2.9% | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Canton | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Roswell | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Cherokee County | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.9% |
| Marietta | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Kennesaw | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| United States | 4.0% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Woodstock, Milton, Canton, Roswell, Cherokee County, Marietta, Kennesaw, Georgia and the United States.
Kennesaw, about eight miles southwest, was highest of the nearby cities at 3.4%. Canton, about 10 miles north, and Roswell, about 10 miles southeast, were both 3.0%. Marietta, about 11 miles south, was 3.3%. Milton, about 12 miles east, was 2.9%.
Woodstock’s rate rose 0.2 points from a year earlier. Cherokee County, Marietta and Milton rose by the same amount. Canton and Roswell rose 0.3 points, and Kennesaw and Georgia 0.1 points. The national rate fell 0.3 points.
The BLS does not publish a city rate for Holly Springs, about five miles north, or Acworth, about 10 miles west. Both are counted in the Cherokee County and Cobb County figures.
The numbers behind the rate
In Woodstock in September, according to the BLS:
- 23,323 people were in the labor force, up from 22,668 a year earlier.
- 22,686 people had jobs, up from 22,109.
- 637 people were unemployed, up from 559.
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 Woodstock residents, wherever they work, not counts of jobs located in the city.
The past year, month by month
Woodstock’s rate moved between 2.3% and 2.8% over the past year. It was lowest in April and July. It was highest in November 2025 and February 2026.
| Month | Woodstock rate |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | 2.5% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 2.8% |
| December 2025 | 2.7% |
| January 2026 | 2.6% |
| February 2026 | 2.8% |
| March 2026 | 2.6% |
| April 2026 | 2.3% |
| May 2026 | 2.5% |
| June 2026 | 2.6% |
| July 2026 | 2.3% |
| August 2026 | 2.5% |
| September 2026 | 2.7% (preliminary) |
Because the figures are not seasonally adjusted, a change from one month to the next can reflect the season, not a shift in the job market. In August 2026, for example, the rate was 2.5%, down from 2.8% in August 2025.
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
- Woodstock’s job market is the tightest of the nearby cities the BLS tracks. Fewer than three in every 100 residents in the labor force were out of work and looking in September.
- The September numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- If you are looking for work, the Georgia Department of Labor’s EmployGeorgia job board lists openings in and around Woodstock.
- 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 story on Woodstock home values and the weekly real estate transfers.
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