September 2012 County Unemployment Rates

RATE DECREASES IN 94 AND INCREASES IN ONE COUNTY

NASHVILLE – County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for September 2012, released today, show the rate decreased in 94 counties and increased in one.

Specific county information is available on the Internet; enter http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/Labor_Force_Estimates_Sep12.pdf

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for September decreased to 8.3 percent, down from the August revised rate of 8.5 percent. The national unemployment rate for September 2012 was 7.8 percent, 0.3 percentage point lower than the August rate.

The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.

Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 5.9 percent, down from the August rate of 6.7 percent.  Davidson County was 6.6 percent, down from 7.4 percent. Hamilton County was 7.1 percent, down from 7.7 percent, and Shelby County was 8.5 percent, down from 8.9 percent in August.

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