First-time claims for unemployment insurance were down slightly last month in Chattooga County when compared to the month before.

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, there were 285 claims, compared to 318 the month before and 43 this same time last year in Chattooga County.

In Floyd County there were 4,292 initial claims filed in July, down from 4,928 in June. However, that is still much higher than the 658 initial claims filed in July of 2019.

In Walker County new claims totaled 1,768 in July; down by just 14 from the month before.