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According to information released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development on Thursday, unemployment rates increased slightly during May in each of the state’s 95 counties. Even with the minimal increases, 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties maintained rates lower than 5% for the month, according to TDLWD.
Williamson County recorded the lowest jobless rate in the state for May. At 2.3%, its rate increased 0.3 of a percentage point from April’s revised rate of 2%.
Perry County’s rate came in at 5.5%, the highest in the state. That represented a 0.4 of a percentage point increase from April’s rate of 5.1%.
Locally, Anderson County’s unemployment rate went up by three-tenths of a point in May, climbing from 2.9% in April to 3.2 a month ago.
Campbell County saw its unemployment rate climb from 3.% in April to 4.0% in May, an increase of a half a percentage point.
Knox County recorded an unemployment rate of 2.8% in May, up from 2.5% the previous month.
Morgan County’s unemployment rate climbed by four-tenths of a point going from 3.2% in April to 3.6% a month ago.
In May, Roane County saw its unemployment rate climb by half a point, from 3.1% in April to 3.6%.
Union County saw its unemployment rate increase to 3.6% as well, up from 3.2% in April.
The increase in county unemployment followed the slight uptick in the statewide unemployment rate in May. Tennessee’s jobless number inched up to 3.3% in May, just 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the state’s all-time low rate of 3.2%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates county and statewide unemployment rates differently. It does not factor in seasonal impacts on data when determining county unemployment rates, while it does seasonally adjust the statewide unemployment number.
Nationally, May’s unemployment rate mirrored April’s rate of 3.6%.
A complete analysis of the May 2022 county unemployment data for the state of Tennessee’s 95 counties is available here.
