As COVID-19 numbers continue to dwindle across the country, so do the numbers of newly filed unemployment claims.
Over the past 8-weeks in Tennessee, there have been 50,262 new unemployment claims filed. That boils down to an average of 6,282 new claims filed weekly, which is drastically less than the number of unemployment claims filed in the peak of the pandemic.
When the COVID Pandemic first hit, Tennessee recorded a record number of new unemployment claims in a very short period of time. Data from the state showed that 759,687 new unemployment claims were filed between March 15, 2020 and July 25, 2020. That amounts to an average of 39,983 new unemployment claims filed weekly over that 19-week period.
Today, there are 32,072 fewer unemployment claims being filed each week in Tennessee. In the last 19-weeks – ending on July 3rd, Tennesseans have filed a total of 150,309 new unemployment claims. That amounts to an average of 7,911 new unemployment claims being filed weekly over the past 19-weeks.
Rutherford County Numbers
Unemployment data shows that Rutherford County started the Pandemic with 113 initial jobless benefits being paid to area residents. By March 14, 2020, there were already 538 unemployment claims being paid in Rutherford County. Fast forward to May 2nd of 2020, that number climbed to 22,233 residents in Rutherford County receiving unemployment pay. The following week, the number rose to 23,000.
The numbers in Rutherford County started a downswing by June of 2020 with a little more than 16,000 unemployment claims being paid weekly. The following month recorded another downswing with about 13,000 payments being made to those without a job in Rutherford County.
One year later, the number of Rutherford County residents receiving unemployment pay hit 2,256 for the week ending on July 3rd (2021).
Across the state of Tennessee, there has been $64-million paid to those who found themselves unemployed since the start of the COVID Pandemic. Of the funds paid, $55.7-million came from the federal government and $8.4-million came from the State of Tennessee.
