Fed's Lockhart: Stimulus has fueled rebound

MACON, Ga. Oct 1 (Reuters) - While the U.S. economy is likely to grow by an annual rate of between 2.5 percent and 3 percent in the third quarter, the recovery won't be fully on track until expansion happens without the help of fiscal and monetary stimulus, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart said on Thursday.

"Growth almost always lags," he said at the Macon State College School of Business.

"To bring people back to work, it's going to take a while," he said. "Unemployment's going to be frustratingly high for some period of time." (Reporting by David Beasley, writing by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Leslie Adler)