The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GA DCA) has released its economic rankings for the 159 counties in Georgia and according to the rankings, Chattooga County will remain a Tier One County.  That designation means that the county is economically under-performing, but it also means that employers in the county are able to get a tax break on each employee that they hire.

The state divides counties into four “tier” classifications to determine eligible tax credits for employers or potential employers looking to add jobs and hire new employees.

There are currently 71 counties in the state that fall into the Tier One category, but in Northwest Georgia only Chattooga and Murray County are considered Tier One Counties. Polk,  Floyd, Walker and Whitfield Counties are considered Tier Two counties and Dade, Catoosa, Gordon and Bartow Counties are considered Tier Three.  Only eighteen counties in the entire state fall into the Tier Four category.

Chattooga County’s position in the rankings did move up this year from 57 to 67.