Nashville, TN – The July employment situation improved in counties across Tennessee, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
Seventy-seven counties reported lower unemployment than in June, while rates stayed the same in eight counties and increased in the remaining 10.
Unemployment was lower than 5% in 82 of the state’s 95 counties during the month, with the remaining 13 counties at or above 5%.
Montgomery County’s unemployment rate in July was 4.0 percent. This is down 0.1 percent from June’s 4.1 percent.
Sevier County and Williamson County recorded July’s lowest jobless rates, at 2.5%. The new statistics represented a 0.2 of a percentage point drop for each county compared to their June rates.
Cheatham County and Wilson County had Tennessee’s next lowest monthly unemployment rate at 2.7%. The Cheatham County rate dropped 0.1 of a percentage point, while Wilson County’s rate was down 0.2 of a percentage point.
Weakley County’s unemployment rate jumped 1.7 percentage points, from 4.5% to 6.2%, between June and July. That was the highest rate in the state.
Houston County and Bledsoe County had the state’s next highest unemployment rates at 5.5%. Houston County’s rate increased 0.6 of a percentage point, while Bledsoe County’s dropped 0.3 of a percentage point.
Statewide, seasonally adjusted unemployment in Tennessee remained at the record-setting low rate of 3% for the third month.
Nationwide, the jobless rate grew 0.2 of a percentage point in July to 4.3%.
The state and national rates are adjusted to account for any seasonal impact on employment, while the county rates are not.
TDLWD has compiled a complete economic analysis of July’s county unemployment data, along with statistics for individual cities, which is available here.
