Chattanooga, TN – According to the state officials, despite this achievement, most counties experienced a slight rise in unemployment compared to the previous month.
Unemployment rates increased in 77 counties from August to September, while rates decreased in five counties and remained steady in 13.
Sevier and Moore counties recorded the lowest unemployment rates for the month at 2.7%, with Sevier County’s rate rising by two-tenths of a point and Moore County’s by one-tenth. Williamson County followed closely at 2.8%, also up by one-tenth from the previous month. These three counties reported the state’s lowest rates in August as well.
McNairy County in southwestern Tennessee had the highest unemployment rate in September, reaching 5.5%, up by three-tenths of a percentage point from August.
Houston County followed with a rate of 5.4%, although this represented a decrease of two-tenths from August.
Statewide, Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.2% in September, remaining nearly a full percentage point below the national average of 4.1%. Unlike state and national rates, county-level rates are not seasonally adjusted.