Unemployment Rate Decreases in 93 Counties - April 2007

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2007 was released last week at 4.4 percent, 0.3 percentage point lower than the March rate of 4.7 percent. The last time the unemployment rate was down to 4.4 percent was April of 2001. Tennessee’s April 2007 rate was also below the United States’ April unemployment rate of 4.5 percent.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for April 2007, released today, show that 93 counties decreased, one county increased, and one remained unchanged.

Williamson County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 2.8 percent, down from 3.2 percent in March. Lawrence County had the state’s highest at 7.5 percent, down from 8.5 in March, followed by Pickett County at 7.3 percent, down from 10.3 in March.

Knoxville had the state’s lowest major metropolitan statistical area (MSA) rate at 3.2 percent, which decreased from 3.8 percent in March. The Nashville-Murfreesboro MSA was 3.4 percent, down from 4.0 in March; the Chattanooga MSA was 3.6 percent, down from 4.0 percent; and the Memphis MSA was 4.6 percent, decreasing from 5.5 percent in March.

NOTE: Information will be available at http://www.tennessee.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/april2007county.pdf