December 31, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
County unemployment rates dropped in a majority of Tennessee’s counties in November including DeKalb County, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Eighty-nine of the state’s 95 counties recorded lower rates for the month.
Unemployment remained the same in three counties in November and increased in three counties.
November’s data showed that 92 of the state’s counties recorded rates of less than 5% during the month. The remaining three counties had rates higher than 5% but less than 10%.
DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for November was 4%, down from 4.6% in October but still higher than the 3.6% rate in November 2022.
The local labor force for November 2023 was 8,191. A total of 7,866 were employed and 325 were without work.
Moore County had the state’s lowest rate in November. At 2.4%, its new rate was 0.2 of a percentage point lower than it was the previous month. Both Williamson and Sevier counties had the next lowest rates at 2.6%. The new statistics accounted for a 0.1 of a percentage point decrease in unemployment for both counties.
Perry County recorded November’s highest unemployment in Tennessee with a rate of 5.3%. The county’s new rate dropped by a staggering 2.6 percentage points from its October rate of 7.9%. Lauderdale County had Tennessee’s next highest jobless number. Its November rate of 5.2% was 0.3 of a percentage rate lower than the rate the county recorded in October.
County unemployment rates are not adjusted for seasonal events such as school breaks and weather, while the statewide rate is seasonally adjusted to take into account the impact those events can have on unemployment.
As reported on December 21, 2023, Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate did increase in November, up by 0.2 of a percentage point from 3.3% in October to 3.5%.
Nationally, unemployment dropped by 0.2 of a percentage point, moving from 3.9% to 3.7%.
Tennesseans looking for a fresh start in 2024 by taking a new career path can start that journey at Jobs4TN.gov. The state’s workforce development website lists the state’s hot occupations, average wages, and more than 210,000 current job openings.