Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Bartow County posted positive employment numbers in May.

The area saw a drop in the unemployment rate and increases in labor force and the number of employed residents.

“Georgia’s economy remains very strong,” said Butler. “Across the board, the state’s numbers are very positive for the year and many areas continue to set records.”

In May, the number of employed residents in Bartow County grew to 48,921, an increase of 185 for the month and 1,533 for the year.    

Bartow County ended May with a labor force of 50,621. That is an increase of 117 from the previous month and an increase of 978 over the last year.    

At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 3.4 percent, a drop of .1 percent over the previous month. A year ago, the jobless rate was 4.5 percent.  

In the Bartow County, initial claims for unemployment were up about 67 percent for the month and up about 26 percent for the year.