Counties Across Tennessee Experienced Lower Unemployment During Final Month of 2023
NASHVILLE – Nearly every county in Tennessee ended 2023 with lower unemployment, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Ninety-two of the state’s 95 counties posted rates in December that came in lower than their November statistics.
Wayne County’s rate was unchanged between November and December at 3.5%. Unemployment did increase in two counties during the month. Hardeman County saw its rate grow from 4.3% to 4.6%, while unemployment in Fayette County increased from 3.6% to 3.8%.
Every county in the state recorded unemployment rates below 5% in December.
Moore County continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state with a rate of 2.1%, down from 2.4% in November. Williamson County had the second-lowest rate for the month, down 0.3 of a percentage point from 2.6% to 2.3%.
Bledsoe County had the highest rate of unemployment in December. The county’s new rate of 4.8% is a 0.2 of a percentage point decrease from its November rate of 5%. While Lauderdale County had the second-highest rate for the month at 4.7%, it was down 0.5 of a percentage point from the previous month.
An in-depth analysis of Tennessee’s county unemployment data, including data for cities across the state, is available here.
Data released by TDLWD on January 18 showed no movement in the statewide unemployment rate between November and December. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate held steady at 3.5%. Throughout 2023, unemployment in Tennessee remained low and ranged from 3.1% to 3.5%.
Nationally, the jobless number also remained unchanged in December at 3.7%, 0.2 of a percentage point higher than Tennessee’s rate for the month.
Employers across the state continue to search for skilled and qualified employees to help their businesses thrive. Job seekers in Tennessee can find more than 200,000 current job openings at Jobs4TN.gov. The state of Tennessee will release the unemployment data for January 2024 on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. CST.