Unemployment down in nearly all Tennessee counties

Nearly every county in Tennessee ended 2022 with lower unemployment rates, according to the December 2022 data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Eighty-nine of the state’s 95 counties reported rates that decreased in December. Three counties experienced steady unemployment during the month, while unemployment increased in the remaining three counties.

Williamson County led the state with the lowest unemployment rate. At 2.1%, the county’s rate dropped 0.4 of a percentage point from the revised November rate.

Cheatham, Moore, and Wilson counties had the next lowest rate in the state at 2.2%. In Cheatham and Moore counties, the December rate dropped 0.3 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month. Wilson County’s rate was down 0.4 of a percentage point.

Bledsoe County’s rate was the highest in the state, but at 5.3%, unemployment in the county did drop by 0.1 of a percentage point in December.

With a rate of 4.8%, Perry County had the next highest unemployment for the month. Its rate was down 0.2 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month’s rate. Lake County’s unemployment ranked next on the list at 4.7%, down from a rate of 4.8% in November.

An in-depth analysis of Tennessee’s December 2022 county unemployment data is available here.

Statewide, Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in December at 3.5%. Nationally, unemployment for the month dropped from 3.6% to 3.5%.

Unlike statewide unemployment rates, county data is not seasonally adjusted to take into consideration seasonal impacts on unemployment.

Employers across the state need a skilled and qualified workforce to help their businesses grow, which will help the state’s economy continue to thrive. Job seekers in Tennessee can search through hundreds of thousands of job openings at Jobs4TN.gov. They can also learn more about free Adult Education or college prep classes, find a Registered Apprenticeship Program to become a part of, or locate the American Job Center closest to them by logging onto TNWorkReady.com.

The state of Tennessee will release the unemployment rate for January 2023 on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. CST.