Many Tennessee counties experienced changes in their unemployment rates during October, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Unemployment in 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties increased in October. Davidson and Sevier counties saw their rates decrease during the month.

During October, two counties in the state had unemployment rates below 5 percent, 90 counties had rates of 5 percent or greater, and three counties recorded rates of 10 percent or higher.

Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment in October with a rate of 4.6 percent, which is up 0.8 of a percentage point from its revised September rate of 3.8 percent. 

Shelby County recorded October’s highest jobless rate in Tennessee. At 11 percent, the county’s unemployment increased by 0.7 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month’s revised rate of 10.3 percent.

TDLWD has produced a report with a complete analysis of Tennessee’s October county unemployment data. You can find information for each county and statistical area here.

Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate increased during October. The preliminary, seasonally adjusted, statewide unemployment rate for October is 7.4 percent, an increase of 0.9 of a percentage point from September’s revised rate of 6.5 percent. 

Nationally, unemployment decreased from September’s revised rate of 7.9 percent to 6.9 percent in October. The U.S. rate is 3.3 percentage points higher than it was in October 2019.

Tennessee employers are ready to help the state’s economy rebound by hiring individuals to meet their business needs. Jobs4TN.gov, Tennessee’s workforce development website, currently has over 240,000 open positions for workers of varying skill levels.

Jobs4TN.gov also offers online assistance with writing a resume that will catch the attention of employers, advice on how to engage and impress during job interviews, and details about potential job training opportunities.

There are more than 80 American Job Centers across Tennessee that are open for business and offering job seekers one-on-one personalized assistance. Career specialists are ready to work with individuals to devise a reemployment plan that will help them rejoin the state’s workforce.

All the assistance is free to anyone who needs help finding a new job or career path.

The state of Tennessee will release the unemployment rate for November on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 1:30 p.m. CT.