Every county in Tennessee experienced lower unemployment rates in August, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
For the month, 89 counties recorded rates below 5%, while the remaining six counties came in with rates higher than 5%, but less than 10%.
Unemployment in Chattanooga dropped 0.2% to 3.3% in August, while overall unemployment in Hamilton County dropped 0.4% from 3.8% to 3.4%.
Williamson County’s unemployment rate was the lowest in Tennessee during August. At 2.3%, the county’s rate dropped by 0.3 of a percentage point from its July figure of 2.6%.
Cheatham County came in with the state’s second-lowest rate for the month at 2.5%, a 0.3 of a percentage point drop when compared to the previous month. Moore County’s rate was the third-lowest in August at 2.6%, also down 0.3 of a percentage point.
Perry County recorded the state’s highest jobless number for the month at 5.6%. Its new rate accounted for a 0.7 of a percentage point drop from its July rate of 6.3%.
Bledsoe County had the second-highest rate in August at 5.4% but its rate dropped by 0.7 of a percentage point for the month. With the third-highest rate, Shelby County’s new figure of 5.3% was down 0.7 of a percentage point from its July rate.
Statewide, seasonally adjusted unemployment did inch up in August. It was the first increase after three consecutive months of a steady rate. It went from 3.3% to 3.4% between July and August.
Nationally, seasonally adjusted unemployment increased slightly between July and August, up 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.7%.
County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted to account for different impacts on the workforce.
A complete analysis of Tennessee’s August 2022 county unemployment rates is available here.
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