Dalton Area Has Worst Job Loss in U.S.

Dalton, GA, Aug. 2, 2012 -- Dalton, Georgia lost more jobs than any other U.S. metropolitan area in the past year, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the Dalton area lost 4,600 jobs, or 6.9% of its total, from June 2011 to June 2012, the newspaper reported.

Dalton is the worst of the 372 metro areas across the country in both overall and percent job loss, the bureau reports, and only 32 of those metros even saw job losses.

Since Dalton's most recent peak in July 2006, nearly one-quarter of its jobs have disappeared.

The story notes that the housing slump and a shift from carpet to hardwood floors over the past five years hurt the demand for carpet. New technologies also eliminated the need for many of those who worked in Dalton's carpet mills.