The unemployment rate in 57 Tennessee counties improved in July 2018, according to statistics released today by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The unemployment rate remained the same in 19 counties when compared to June and the number of unemployed Tennesseans increased in 19 counties.
Labor and Work Force Commissioner Burns Phillips commented, “People are not working seasonal jobs, they’re out of town and not able to work, or they’ve just graduated and are looking for work. There are many factors that play a role in summer unemployment figures.”
Sixty-two counties had unemployment rates below 5.0 percent in July, while 33 counties had a rate of 5.0 percent or greater.
Once again, Williamson County had the lowest unemployment rate in Tennessee. The county’s July rate of 2.9 percent was down 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month.
Davidson County had the state’s second-lowest unemployment rate during July; it decreased by 0.1 of a percentage point and came in at 3.0 percent. The top ten counties with the lowest unemployment each had a rate of 3.5 percent on less.
Cannon County was just out of the top ten with a rate of 3.8, this was down just one-tenth of a point from June. This was something the county had in common with its five adjoining counties. All were off one-tenth of a point from June to July. In our region, DeKalb had the highest with 4.9 percent followed by Warren and Coffee. Rutherford and Wilson had the lowest.
The workforce for Cannon County is 6,460 people of which 6,210 are employed, leaving a total of 240 people looking for work.
Weakly County experienced a significant jump in unemployment in July. Its rate of 7.6 percent was a 2.6 percent increase compared to June.
Eight of the top ten Tennessee counties with the lowest unemployment surround Davidson County, while Knox and Sevier Counties round out the list. Seven of the state’s counties with the highest unemployment rate is located in West Tennessee, with the remaining three in East Tennessee.
Tennesseans who are searching for employment may find a variety of valuable resources on the state’s workforce website.
