February 2013 County Unemployment Rates

COUNTY RATES DECREASE IN MAJORITY OF TENNESSEE

NASHVILLE – County unemployment rates for February 2013, released today, show the rate decreased in 87 counties, increased in five, and stayed the same in three. Specific county information is available on the Internet; enter http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/LaborFeb13.pdf.

Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 6.3 percent, down from 6.5 percent in January. Knox County’s February rate of 6.4 percent was down from 6.5 percent in the prior month. Hamilton County was 7.7 percent, down from 8.0 percent, and Shelby County was 9.3 percent, down from 9.7 percent in January.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for February was 7.8 percent, which increased one tenth of one percentage point from the January revised rate of 7.7 percent. The national unemployment rate for February 2013 was 7.7 percent, decreasing by two tenths of one percent from the previous month.

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.

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