April 2012 County Unemployment Rates

RATE DECREASES IN 84 COUNTIES, INCREASES IN FIVE, AND REMAINS
THE SAME IN SIX

NASHVILLE – County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for April 2012, released today, show the rate decreased in 84 counties, increased in five counties, and remained the same in six counties.

Specific county information is available on the Internet; enter http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/Labor%20Force%20Estimates,%20Apr%20'12.pdf

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for April fell to 7.8 percent, down from the March revised rate of 7.9 percent. The national unemployment rate for April 2012 was 8.1 percent, 0.1 percentage point lower than the March 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 5.8 percent, up from 5.6 percent in March.  Davidson County was 6.5 percent, down from 6.6 percent in the previous month. Hamilton County was 7.0 percent, down from 7.3 percent, and Shelby County was 8.3 percent, down from the March unemployment rate of 9.1 percent. 

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