New data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows unemployment increases in nearly all of Tennessee’s 95 counties in January 2020. Ninety-four counties experienced some level of increase during the first month of the year. Meigs Co. is the only one where unemployment remained unchanged.
That is surely the case in our area with Henry, Obion, Stewart, Weakley, Carroll and Benton Counties all showing increases in unemployment.
In our area: Weakley County showed the lowest unemployment, with the rate at 4.1 percent in January, up from 3.4 percent in December.
In the other counties in our area: Obion COunty is at 5.1 percent, up from 4.2 percent; Stewart County at 5.1, up from 4 percent; Henry Co. at 5.3 percent, up from 4.2 percent; Benton Co. at 5.5 percent, up from 4.3 percent and Carroll County at 5.8 percent, up from 4.7 percent.
Unemployment rates are below 5% in 59 counties. The rate is 5% or greater, but less than 10%, in 36 counties.
Williamson County continues to have the state’s lowest jobless numbers. Its new rate of 2.5% represents a 0.4 percentage point increase from December 2019, but a 0.1 percentage point decrease when comparing that figure to January 2019.
Davidson and Rutherford counties have the next lowest rates at 2.7%. Both counties saw an increase of 0.4 percentage points when compared to December, but a 0.1 percentage point decrease compared to a year ago.
Lincoln County has Tennessee’s highest unemployment rate in January. Its current figure of 7.5% represents a 1.4 percentage point increase from December and a 4.1 percentage point increase from January 2019.
Perry County’s rate is up 2.6 percentage points from December’s rate to 7.4%. Clay County saw an increase of 1.3 percentage points to 7.2%. Lake County’s new figure is 7.1%, up 2 percentage points from December, but down 2.7 percentage points from January 2019.
Unlike the statewide unemployment rate, county rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Statewide, January is the fifth consecutive month Tennessee recorded an unemployment rate of 3.3%.
Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate did increase between December and January by 0.1 percentage point to the new rate of 3.6%.