January 2014 County Unemployment Rates

NASHVILLE – County unemployment rates for January 2014, released today, show the rate decreased in 34 counties, increased in 49 counties, and remained the same in 12. Specific county information for January is available on the Internet; enter https://www.jobs4tn.gov/altentry.asp?action=lmiguest&whereto=labforcedata.

Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 5.3 percent in January, down from 5.6 percent in December. Knox County’s January rate was 5.5 percent, down from 5.7. Hamilton County was 7.1 percent, down from 7.2. Shelby County was 8.6 percent, down from 9.1. Tennessee’s unemployment rate for January was 7.2 percent, which is five tenths of one percentage point lower than the December revised rate. The national unemployment rate for January 2014 was 6.6 percent, down one tenth of one percentage point from December.

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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