County unemployment rates released Thursday (1/25/18) by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) show unemployment remained below 5 percent in an overwhelming majority of the state's 95 counties during December 2017. The latest statistics also highlight how each county had significantly lower unemployment compared to one year ago.

Davidson County and Rutherford County both tied at 2.3 percent ranking number two and three on the list in that order. Williamson County once again had the lowest unemployment in the state at 2.2 percent.

Eighty-nine counties experienced unemployment under 5 percent during the last month of the year. Seventy-seven counties saw their rates decrease, including Williamson County, which had Tennessee's lowest rate at 2.2 percent, a 0.3 percent drop from the previous month. Davidson County's rate of 2.3 percent was the second lowest in state and represents a 0.2 percent decrease from November.

The list of top ten counties with the lowest unemployment also includes Rutherford, Cheatham, Wilson and Knox Counties, which each saw a decrease of 0.3 percent in December. The rates in Sumner and Moore Counties went down by 0.2 percent last month, while Macon and Bradley Counties moved into the top ten.

Rhea County, Tennessee has the highest unemployment numbers at 5.6 percent followed by Houston County at 5.5 percent and Bledsoe County at 5.2 percent.