October 2025 unemployment rates are finally released

After months of delay as a result of the government shutdown in October, the unemployment stats for Tennessee and individual counties have finally been released for the month of September. October and November data is likely to be released in early January, but for now, September showed Tennessee and White County staying steady.

The state unemployment rate, after seasonal adjustment, rests at 3.6%. That is the same as August, and it is 0.8% lower than the national average. It is also slightly lower than September 2024, which was 3.7%. With a labor force of 3,498,684, Tennessee has 3,373,504 of those residents employed.

White County, while unchanged from August, was a bit higher than the state average at 4.2%. This is also the same rate as September 2024, meaning White County saw nearly no change between last year, August, and September. 10,690 residents were employed out of the 11,160-labor force pool.

Putnam County similarly showed little change, remaining at 3.7% between September and August. Van Buren County remained at 3.3%, and Cumberland County stayed at 4.2%. DeKalb is the only surrounding county with a mild change, increasing just barely to 4.2% from August’s 4.1%.

The counties with the lowest unemployment included Sevier at 2.8%, Williamson at 2.8%, and Cheatham at 2.9%. The counties with the highest were Perry at 5.6%, Hardeman at 5.1%, and Lauderdale and Johnson both at 5%.

All the data for unemployment statistics are available at the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s website, tn.gov/workforce. The Labor Force Estimates are under the reports tab in general resources.