January 2007 Unemployment Figures - County

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2007 was released last week at 4.8 percent, 0.1 percent lower than the December rate of 4.9 percent. The United States unemployment rate for the month of January was 4.6 percent.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for January 2007, released today, show that all 95 counties increased. County unemployment rates cannot be seasonally adjusted and therefore reflect seasonal expansions and layoffs that occur during the year. The state and U.S. unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted to eliminate normal seasonal fluctuations and to indicate a more accurate measurement of actual economic change.

Williamson County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 3.4 percent, up from 3.0 percent in December. Pickett County was the states highest at 11.3 percent, up from 9.3 in December, followed by Lawrence County at 9.8 percent, up from 8.8 in December.

Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate at 3.9 percent, up from 3.3 in December. Davidson County is 4.1 percent, up from 3.6 in December. Hamilton County is at 4.4 percent, up from 3.8 in December, and Shelby County is 5.7 percent, up from the December rate of 5.0.

NOTE: Information will be available at www.tennessee.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/january2007county.pdf