January 3, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Unemployment dropped in more than one-third of Tennessee’s 95 counties in November, including DeKalb County according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
Rates decreased in 38 counties, remained the same in 24 counties, and unemployment increased in 33 counties during the month.
DeKalb County’s jobless rate for November was 3.9% was down from 5.1% in October. The rate for November 2018 was also 3.9%.
The local labor force for November was 7,864. A total of 7,560 were employed and 304 were unemployed.
The new data shows there are 91 counties across the state with rates less than 5 percent and only four counties with rates greater than 5 percent.
“It’s very encouraging to have so many counties with unemployment rates below 5 percent during November,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “As we moved closer to the busy holiday season, more Tennesseans were taking home paychecks, which is the ultimate goal.”
Williamson County has the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.2 percent. That figure is down 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to October.
Davidson County has the second-lowest unemployment rate for the month. Its current statistic of 2.3 percent mirrors the rate from the previous month.
Cheatham and Rutherford counties both have a rate of 2.4 percent. For Cheatham County, which represents an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point, Rutherford County’s rate did not change between October and November.
Clay County experienced an increase in unemployment, giving the county the state’s highest unemployment rate. Its rate jumped from 5.2 percent in October to 5.9 percent in November.
Hancock, Hardeman, and Bledsoe counties follow Clay County with rates of 5 percent. Hancock County’s rate dropped one-half of a percentage point, Hardeman County is down 0.1 of a percentage point, and Bledsoe County is up by 0.3 of a percentage point.
Statewide, seasonally adjusted unemployment was down 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to October, setting the November 2019 rate at 3.3 percent.
The United States’ unemployment rate for November is 3.5 percent, 0.1 of a percentage point lower than it was in October.