Brookhaven's jobless rate was 2.6% in August, down from 2.7% a year ago and below Chamblee, Dunwoody, DeKalb County and Georgia, federal estimates show.
Brookhaven’s unemployment rate was 2.6% in August, down from 2.7% in August 2025. There were 640 more Brookhaven residents with jobs than a year earlier, and 45 fewer 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 series for the city of Brookhaven, as well as one for DeKalb County. The rates are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
DeKalb County as a whole ran higher, at 3.5%. That was down from 3.8% in August 2025.
Brookhaven against its neighbors
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| Chamblee | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Sandy Springs | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| Dunwoody | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| Georgia | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| DeKalb County | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Fulton County | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| Atlanta | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted, and August 2026 is preliminary. Sources: BLS series for Brookhaven, Chamblee, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Georgia, DeKalb County, Fulton County, Atlanta and the United States.
Brookhaven had the lowest rate of the group. Chamblee, about three miles northeast, was 2.7%. So was Sandy Springs, about five miles northwest across the Fulton County line. Dunwoody, about six miles north, was 2.9%.
Every area on the list was at or below its rate a year earlier. Sandy Springs was the only one unchanged.
The numbers behind the rate
In Brookhaven in August, according to the BLS:
- 35,644 people were in the labor force, up from 35,049 a year earlier.
- 34,729 people had jobs, up from 34,089.
- 915 people were unemployed, down from 960.
In DeKalb County, 392,970 people had jobs and 14,370 were unemployed, out of a labor force of 407,340. A year earlier, 385,730 had jobs and 15,114 were unemployed.
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 residents, wherever they work, not of jobs located in Brookhaven.
The BLS builds its estimates for cities such as Brookhaven by sharing out county figures using census data. That makes the city numbers less precise than the county ones, so a move of a tenth of a point is small.
The past year, month by month
Brookhaven’s rate moved between 2.1% and 2.8% over the year. It was lowest in April and highest in November 2025 and February 2026.
| Month | Brookhaven rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 2.7% |
| September 2025 | 2.6% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 2.8% |
| December 2025 | 2.4% |
| January 2026 | 2.6% |
| February 2026 | 2.8% |
| March 2026 | 2.5% |
| April 2026 | 2.1% |
| May 2026 | 2.4% |
| June 2026 | 2.4% |
| July 2026 | 2.4% |
| August 2026 | 2.6% (preliminary) |
The rate rose from 2.4% in July to 2.6% in August, when 915 residents were unemployed against 844 in July. 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 across DeKalb County.
- The August numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- September’s figures 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 Brookhaven home values and our weekly real estate transfers.
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