February unemployment drops in every Tennessee county

(March 31, 2022) - Unemployment rates dropped in counties across Tennessee in February, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Each of the state’s 95 counties saw lower unemployment during the second month of 2022.

Ninety-one counties recorded a rate of less than 5% for February, while four counties had unemployment higher than 5%, but less than 10%, during the month.

Moore County had Tennessee’s lowest unemployment rate in February. At 1.8%, its rate dropped 0.4 of a percentage point from the January rate of 2.2%. Williamson County had the state’s second-lowest rate for the month at 2%, down 0.2 of a percentage point.

Cocke County had the highest jobless rate for the month at 6.3%. While the county’s rate was the highest, its February number dropped 0.8 of a percentage point from January’s rate of 7.1%. Lake County had the next highest rate at 5.8%, which was a 0.6 of a percentage point decrease from January’s rate of 6.4%.

When calculating county unemployment rates, seasonal impacts are not factored into the rates, while the statewide unemployment data is adjusted for those occurrences.

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 3.4%, a 0.1 of a percentage point drop from January’s rate of 3.5%. The new figure came in 1.6 percentage points lower than the 2021 rate of 5%.

The United States unemployment rate also dropped slightly in February. The nationwide seasonally adjusted rate inched down by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.8%. One year ago, the national jobless rate was 6.2%.

Analysis of the February county unemployment numbers for each county, including labor force estimates for areas across the state, can be found here.

TDLWD has many resources available to help individuals navigate the thousands of open jobs in and around Tennessee, as well as locate opportunities to improve skill sets or learn new, in-demand skills. Job seekers can find those resources in-person at an American Job Center, or online at www.TNWorkReady.com.

The state of Tennessee will release unemployment data for March 2022 on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. CDT.