MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Life can bring challenges, from maintaining steady employment to facing sudden medical or financial setbacks. For thousands of workers across the nation this fall, one major challenge arrived in the form of a temporary federal government shutdown that rippled across every state—Tennessee included.

In October, a lapse in federal funding forced multiple U.S. government departments to halt operations, including the U.S. Department of Labor. That stoppage triggered furloughs for federal employees and left countless private-sector workers tied to federal contracts temporarily out of work as agencies froze payments, paused projects, and closed their doors. 

SNAP TO BE RESTORED: While the shutdown hurt numerous families, those hit the hardest included households that received SNAP benefits, which were temporarily put on hold. SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — deposits funds onto an EBT card, similar to a debit card, that can be used in supermarkets to help individuals and families afford groceries each month. More than 41 million Americans are enrolled in the program, which was previously known as food stamps. The good news is that SNAP benefits could be up and running again by Thursday evening (11/13/25)... That was CBS News Correspondent Michael Wallace. Once the SNAP funding is restored, money for things like groceries could be placed on the cards within 24-hours. 

This has been the first time in the food programs 60-year history to shut down funds, impacting not only a percenage of those out of work, but a bigger percentage of those who are disabled or elderly. A federal judge in Rhode Island previously told the USDA that operates the SNAP program, to pay benefits in full by Friday, November 7, 2025, but that didn't happen. The instruction was blocked by an appeal filed by the Trump Administration. On Wednesday (11/12/25), officials in Tennessee announced they would deposit 65% of November’s SNAP funds into EBT accounts, with the remaining balance to be added once the federal government is fully restored.

Unemployment Data: Because of the shutdown, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has not released unemployment figures for September or October, citing missing federal data needed to prepare accurate statewide statistics. The department confirmed that the release of jobless numbers has been delayed until federal reporting resumes.

Shutdown Creates Statistical Complications - During the funding lapse, federal employees at dozens of agencies were sent home without paychecks. On paper, many of those workers still held jobs—they simply could not work until operations resumed. That makes counting them in unemployment totals unusually difficult.

State officials say they must now work with the U.S. Department of Labor to determine how to classify furloughed federal employees, as well as workers at Tennessee companies whose federal contracts were paused. Both groups were unable to work but were not formally separated from their jobs, creating one of the most complex labor-tracking hurdles in recent history.

Last Released Numbers: August Snapshot Shows Strong Local Job Market - Because Tennessee’s September and October numbers remain delayed, the most recent unemployment data still comes from August, released on September 25.

Those figures showed significant improvement across the Nashville–Murfreesboro–Davidson County Statistical Area, dropping unemployment by 0.7 percentage points from July to August, landing at 3.1%.

Breaking the August numbers down by city:

• Murfreesboro: 3.1% unemployment (down 0.7% from July)
• Smyrna: 2.9% unemployment (down 0.7%) – lowest in Rutherford County
• La Vergne: 3.0% unemployment (down 0.8%)

The state does not publish city-specific data for Eagleville because the population is below 25,000.

When combining all municipalities, Rutherford County recorded a 3.0% unemployment rate for August, placing it among the top 10 counties with the lowest unemployment in Tennessee. The county was also one of seven counties statewide to hit the same low 3.0% mark.

In practical terms, Rutherford County’s job market outperformed 92.6% of all counties in Tennessee—a strong indicator that the local economy was on solid footing heading into the fall.

Uncertain Outlook as Shutdown Ends - What remains unknown is how the record-long federal shutdown will affect upcoming Tennessee labor reports. Economists note that some furloughed workers may be counted as unemployed temporarily, while others may not appear in the figures at all. Meanwhile, local businesses with federal contracts may show short-term employment drops for September and October.

Residents across Rutherford County are now waiting to see how the federal disruption will be reflected in the next official unemployment release—whenever it arrives.

For now, leaders remain hopeful that the next report will bring good news rather than a “sour note,” as Tennessee works to recover from the largest federal shutdown in U.S. history.