Newly released unemployment data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) showed jobless numbers dropped in nearly every county in the state during March. Ninety-two of 95 counties had lower rates for the month, while the rates increased for two counties, and remained the same in one county.
The state of Tennessee now has 93 counties with unemployment rates below 5%, compared to 90 counties in February. One two counties in the state have an unemployment rate higher than 5%.
In Coffee County, unemployment fell to 2.9 percent – down 0.2 of a percentage point from the rate of 3.1 percent in February. This is down 1.9 percent from the rate of 4.8 percent one year ago.
Moore and Williamson counties had the lowest unemployment in March, each with rates of 1.9%. The new figure accounted for a 0.1 of a percentage point increase for Moore County and 0.1 of a percentage point decrease for Williamson County. Wilson County recorded the second-lowest rate at 2.2%, which was a 0.2 of a percentage point drop from its February number.
With rates of 5.2%, Cocke and Perry counties saw the state’s highest jobless numbers in March. Still, both counties experienced a significant drop in unemployment. Cocke County’s rate was down 1.1 percentage points, while Perry County’s rate decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point. Lake County had the second-highest rate at 4.8%, which was also down 1.1 percentage points from the previous month.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics does not take into account seasonal impacts on data when calculating county unemployment rates, while it does seasonally adjust the statewide unemployment number.
TDLWD has a complete analysis of the March county unemployment data available here. (https://www.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=166478db53c066a7d114ea462&id=57cf77744b&e=29851e7b63)
March’s statewide unemployment data marked a milestone for Tennessee. The month’s 3.2% rate became the lowest ever and edged out the previous record of 3.3% set in August 2019.
Nationally, unemployment also dropped in March. The seasonally adjusted rate for the United States decreased by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.6%. The rate is down 2.4 percentage points in a year-to-year comparison.
Tennesseans actively looking for work can find a variety of free services that can help them find impactful employment at www.TNWorkReady.com.
