Unemployment Drops in Nearly Two-Thirds of Tennessee's County Rates Do Not Reflect Full Impact of COVID-19

NASHVILLE – Newly released unemployment data shows the jobless rate dropped in two-thirds of Tennessee’s 95 counties during March 2020. The unemployment data for the month does not take into account the impact of the COVID-19 health emergency.

The federal government conducted its survey to measure the number of Tennesseans who were out of work during the second week of the month, between March 8 and 14.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development did not begin to see the unprecedented increase in unemployment claims until the third and fourth weeks of March.

Unemployment rates decreased in 61 counties during March, increased in 18 counties, and remained the same in 16 counties.

Sixty-eight counties had unemployment rates lower than 5% for the month, while 27 counties had rates that were 5% or higher.

Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in March. At 2.6%, the new rate mirrored February’s rate.

Lincoln County recorded Tennessee’s highest unemployment rate at 7%, which is a 0.2 of a percentage point drop when compared to the previous month.

You can review a complete analysis of March 2020 unemployment data for each county here.

The state of Tennessee will release the April 2020 statewide unemployment rate Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CT.