Unemployment Rate

TNECD strives to create job opportunities for Tennesseans through all of its programs, in order to reduce the share of the state's workforce that does not have a job. Employment provides the means to generate income, and also has strong correlations with health, crime, educational attainment and other factors that are important to the vibrancy of communities.

The dashboard below demonstrates the unemployment rate for the 10 states of the Southeast, and for all 95 counties of Tennessee. The unemployment rate equals the percentage of a region's labor force that is unemployed. A rank of 1 indicates low unemployment rate.

Long-Term Objective: Tennessee will have the No. 1 lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast by 2025. Declining unemployment indicates a greater share of Tennessee’s workforce is gaining employment, increasing income opportunities for Tennesseans.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases unemployment rates for states and counties monthly, however the county data release lags the state release by approximately 12 days.