Tennessee unemployment fell in 93 counties in July, but gaps remained

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Unemployment rates fell from June to July in 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, but the latest data shows a gap between counties with the lowest and highest reported rates.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released the county figures Thursday, August 27, 2026. Obion County’s rate was unchanged, while Weakley County was the only county where unemployment increased.

Where unemployment was highest i

Perry County recorded Tennessee’s highest July unemployment rate at 5.8%, followed by Hancock County at 5.7% and Weakley County at 5.3%.

Pickett, Shelby and Meigs counties each reported a 5% unemployment rate. In all, six counties had rates of 5% or higher, while 89 counties were below 5%.

Perry’s July rate fell three-tenths of a percentage point from June. Hancock’s rate fell one-tenth, while Weakley’s increased four-tenths.

Four counties tied for the lowest rate i

Cheatham, Sevier, Williamson and Dickson counties tied for the lowest reported unemployment rate in July at 2.8%.

Cheatham’s rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point from June. Sevier, Williamson and Dickson each declined three-tenths.

These figures describe the share of the local labor force counted as unemployed. A lower rate does not necessarily mean every county added jobs: The rate can change when employment, unemployment or the number of people in the labor force changes.

Statewide rate also fell, with a smaller labor force i

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.5% in June to 3.4% in July. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported Tennessee’s July seasonally adjusted rate at 3.4%.

The Tennessee labor-force estimates document identifies Tennessee and the United States as the only seasonally adjusted figures in the report. County rates are not seasonally adjusted, so readers should not compare the statewide 3.4% figure directly with an individual county rate without accounting for that difference.

Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force totaled 3,486,533 in July, down 44,903 from July 2025. Employment totaled 3,366,261, while 120,272 people were counted as unemployed.

The year-over-year labor-force decline is a statistical change reported in the state estimates. The data does not identify it as the reason for differences among counties.

When the next updates are scheduled i

The Labor Department said Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment data for August is scheduled for release at 1:30 p.m. CDT on September 17, 2026.

August county unemployment data is scheduled for release on September 24, 2026. Those dates are future release dates, not results already available as of August 27, 2026.

For residents, workers and employers, the July report offers a county-by-county snapshot rather than a single statewide measure. Most counties improved over the month, but the reported rates remained uneven, and the statewide labor force was smaller than a year earlier.

Sources

• Tennessee Labor Department county unemployment release
• WSMV report on Tennessee county unemployment

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