More Tennesseans started the second month of 2024 on the job as employment improved across the state in February.
Hamilton County saw the unemployment rate drop 0.7% from January, dropping from 3.4% to a near-record low of 2.7%. The unemployment rate is 0.5% lower than it was a year ago, when it was at 3.2% countywide.
According to newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, every county recorded lower unemployment rates for the month.
In fact, all 95 counties across Tennessee showed an improved unemployment situation when compared to their revised January numbers. The decrease in unemployment across the state led each county to post rates under 5% in February.
Moore County had the lowest unemployment in Tennessee with a remarkable rate of 1.9%. That represented a 0.8 of a percentage point drop from its January number.
Williamson County had the state’s second-lowest rate of the month at 2.1%, a 0.4 of a percentage point drop, followed by Rutherford County, which decreased from 2.7% to 2.2% in February.
While Cocke County had the highest jobless number in February at 4.7%, the county’s rate was down 1 percentage point when compared to January’s rate. Bledsoe County recorded the state’s next highest unemployment rate at 4.5%, which was down 0.8 of a percentage point from the previous month. Lauderdale County followed with a rate of 4.4% but also had one of the biggest decreases for the month, with a 1.2 percentage point drop.
More detailed information about each county’s unemployment data, as well as statistics for cities and metropolitan and micropolitan areas, can be found here.
As reported on March 21, the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February was 3.3%, down from 3.5% in January. Nationally, unemployment increased by 0.2 of a percentage point during the month to 3.9%.
Unlike the statewide unemployment rate, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted to take into account factors such as holidays or weather events.
Tennesseans looking for a job or a career change can work one-on-one, at no cost, with a career specialist at one of Tennessee’s American Job Centers. A list of locations is available here.