All 95 Tennessee Counties Reported Unemployment Rates Lower than 5% in May
Nashville, TN – Tennessee set a record low for statewide unemployment in May when its seasonally adjusted rate dropped to 3% for the first time. The latest county unemployment data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed continued low county unemployment across the state.
All 95 counties had unemployment rates at or below 4.4% in May, and only five counties had a jobless number of 4% or more.
Eighty-six counties saw a slight uptick in their rates during May, while three counties recorded lower rates, and unemployment in six counties remained unchanged from April.
The Montgomery County unemployment rate rose to 3.2 percent in May. That is up 0.2 percent from April’s 3.0 percent.
Sevier County and Williamson County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state in May, at 2.1%. Sevier County’s number was unchanged from the previous month, while Williamson County’s rate inched up 0.1 of a percentage point.
Moore County had the next lowest rate at 2.2%, which mirrored its April rate.
Bledsoe County has the highest unemployment rate in the state. At 4.4%, it increased by 0.5 of a percentage point between April and May.
McNairy County had the next highest rate for the month, at 4.2%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points. Both Lauderdale County and Scott County had rates of 4.1%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points in Lauderdale County and 0.5 percentage points in Scott County.
A breakdown of the May 2024 county unemployment data is available here.
Most Tennessee counties reported unemployment rates that were lower than the seasonally adjusted national rate for May, which was 4%.
The state and national unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted to factor in seasonal economic influences such as school breaks and severe weather conditions, while county unemployment rates are not.
