(The Center Square) – Only three of Tennessee’s 95 counties did not have an increase in their unemployment rate for July, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The largest climb was in Weakley County, where the rate jumped 3.5 percentage points to 8.5%, according to the department.
The second highest was in Green County at 6.8%, an increase of 1.3% from June.
Labor Department officials said the large decreases were seasonal, which is figured in the state rate but not in individual county figures.
Sevier County, home to popular tourist sites Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, had the lowest rate in the state at 3.3%, followed by Cheatham County at 3.4%, according to the department. Five counties – Wilson, Williamson, Sumner, Dickson and Davidson – had rates of 3.6%.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate was 3.6% in July, up from 3.5% in June and from the 2024 July rate of 3.4%. Tennessee remains below the national rate of 4.2%.
The department said the number of jobs declined by 900 in July. The private education and health services sector shed the most jobs, followed by the leisure and hospitality sector.
Overall, the Volunteer State added 21,000 in the past year, most of them in the government sector, the department said.
Average weekly earnings for Tennessee workers increased by 1.1% in July to $1,000.82. The average hourly wage was $24.47.
