Unemployment remains below 5 percent in nearly all Tennessee counties

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced today unemployment rates in nearly every Tennessee county remained under 5 percent during May 2018.

Ninety-three of Tennessee’s 95 counties recorded a rate in May that was less than 5 percent. Unemployment in two counties was 5 percent or greater during the time period.

Williamson County had the lowest unemployment in the state with a rate of 2.1 percent, which was 0.1 of a percentage point higher than it was in April.

At 2.2 percent, Davidson County followed with the second lowest rate in the state for May. That figure represented a 0.1 of a percentage point increase from the previous month.

The rates for both Williamson and Davidson Counties were 0.2 of a percentage point lower than the rates they recorded in May 2017.

“For nearly an entire year Tennessee has continued to experience historically low unemployment,” Burns said. “While some counties experienced a slight uptick in their rates between April and May, the numbers are still very impressive.”

Lauderdale County had the highest unemployment rate in Tennessee during May. Its rate of 5.3 percent was an increase of 0.4 of a percentage point from the previous month. Houston County’s 5.2 percent unemployment rate was 0.2 of a percentage point higher than its April rate.

For 11 consecutive months, Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate has been at 3.5 percent or lower. In May the rate was 3.5 percent, which was an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point from April, but still 0.3 of a percentage point lower than the May 2017 rate.

Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped in May for the second consecutive month. It was 3.8 percent, a decrease of 0.1 of a percentage point from the month before.

The state and national unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted to eliminate the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, along with other recurring seasonal events that could impact an economic times series.

A complete analysis of the May 2018 county unemployment date can be found here.

Additional information on Tennessee labor statistics is available on the state’s workforce development website.