RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – Newly released unemployment data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) showed jobless numbers dropped in nearly every county in the state during March. Ninety-two of 95 counties had lower rates for the month, while the rates increased for two counties, and remained the same in one county.

Specifically in Rutherford County

In Rutherford County, the jobless rate came in it at 2.4% - landing the county at number 5 on the list of counties with the lowest unemployment rates in the state.

City Specific

When looking at cities throughout Middle Tennessee, Rutherford County communities fared well. Murfreesboro had an unemployment rate of 2.4% last month. Smyrna’s unemployment rate rang the bell at 2.3% and LaVergne ended March at 2.4%.

While cities in Rutherford County did good on unemployment numbers, two nearby cities ranked better. Franklin, Tennessee had a March 2022 unemployment rate of 1.8% and Brentwood recorded an unemployment rate of 2%. Both Franklin and Brentwood are in Williamson County, which had an overall rate of 1.9%.

Also low on the list for having extremely positive jobless numbers in March of
2022 were the following cities and/or counties (all with jobless figures under 3%):  

• Moore County, TN: 1.9% Unemployment
• Mount Juliet, TN: 2.1% Unemployment  - (in Wilson County: 2.2%)
• Gallatin, TN: 2.4% Unemployment - (in Sumner County: 2.4%)
• Lebanon, TN: 2.5% Unemployment - (in Wilson County: 2.2%)
• Cannon County, TN: 2.5% Unemployment 
• Hendersonville, TN: 2.6% Unemployment - (in Sumner County: 2.4%)
• Nashville, TN: 2.7% Unemployment - (in Davidson County: 2.9%)
• Bedford County, TN: 2.9% Unemployment
• Coffee County, TN: 2.8% Unemployment

The areas with the highest unemployment numbers were Cocke County and Perry County, both recording a 5.2% jobless rate this past March (2022).

Scroll down to read more about unemployment numbers in Tennessee…

 

March 2022 Unemployment Numbers in TN – Continued...

The state of Tennessee currently has 93 counties with unemployment rates below 5%, compared to 90 counties in February. Two counties in the state have an unemployment rate higher than 5%, which include Cocke and Perry Counties at 5.2%.

Moore and Williamson counties had the lowest unemployment in March, each with rates of 1.9%. The new figure accounted for a 0.1 of a percentage point increase for Moore County and 0.1 of a percentage point decrease for Williamson County. Wilson County recorded the second-lowest rate at 2.2%, which was a 0.2 of a percentage point drop from its February number.

With rates of 5.2%, Cocke and Perry counties saw the state’s highest jobless numbers in March. Still, both counties experienced a significant drop in unemployment. Cocke County’s rate was down 1.1 percentage points, while Perry County’s rate decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point. Lake County had the second-highest rate at 4.8%, which was also down 1.1 percentage points from the previous month.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics does not take into account seasonal impacts on data when calculating county unemployment rates, while it does seasonally adjust the statewide unemployment number.

Scroll down for more details on unemployment in the Volunteer State...

Unemployment in Tennessee - Continued...

March’s statewide unemployment data marked a milestone for Tennessee. The month’s 3.2% rate became the lowest ever and edged out the previous record of 3.3% set in August 2019.

Nationally, unemployment also dropped in March. The seasonally adjusted rate for the United States decreased by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.6%. The rate is down 2.4 percentage points in a year-to-year comparison.

• Tennesseans actively looking for work can find a variety of free services that can help them find impactful employment at www.TNWorkReady.com.
• The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has a complete analysis of the March county unemployment data available here.