May 2012 County Unemployment Rates

RATE DECREASES IN THREE COUNTIES, INCREASES IN 87, AND REMAINS THE SAME IN FIVE

NASHVILLE – County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for May 2012, released today, show the rate decreased in three counties, increased in 87 counties, and remained the same in five counties.

Specific county information is available on the Internet; enter http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/LaborForceEstimates_May12.pdf

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for May rose to 7.9 percent, up from the April revised rate of 7.7 percent. The national unemployment rate for May 2012 was 8.2 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than the April 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 6.0 percent, up from 5.8 percent in April.  Davidson County was 6.7 percent, up from 6.5 percent in the previous month. Hamilton County was 7.4 percent, up from 7.0 percent, and Shelby County was 8.8 percent, up from the April unemployment rate of 8.3 percent.

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