The majority of Tennessee counties recorded unemployment rates below 5% in May 2021, according to new data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Forty counties experienced a drop in unemployment during May, while rates remained the same in 18 counties. Thirty-seven counties did see some increase in unemployment for the month.

Rutherford County Unemployment Numbers

In our own backyard, Rutherford County recorded a jobless rate of 3.7%, which ranks the county at number 7 on the list of counties with the lowest unemployment numbers in Tennessee. Rutherford County tied with Sumner and Chester Counties, both recording the same 3.7%.

Lowest Unemployment Rate

At 2.7%, Moore and Williamson counties continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state.

Moore County’s rate dropped 0.2 of a percentage point from its revised April rate and it saw a 5.8 percentage point decrease from its May 2020 rate. Williamson County’s jobless number went down 0.3 of a percentage point when compared to April and it was 3.7 percentage points lower than its May 2020 number.

Highest Unemployment Rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment in May. Its new rate of 7.1% is 1.3 percentage points lower than the previous month’s rate and a staggering 8.3 percentage points lower than its May 2020 rate.

Shelby County had the second-highest unemployment for the month. Its new statistic of 6.8% is 0.1 of a percentage point lower than April’s rate and a 3.5 percentage point drop when compared to May 2020.

Across the State of TN

Statewide unemployment held steady in May and remained unchanged from April’s seasonally adjusted rate of 5%.

You can find a complete analysis of all the state’s county unemployment data for May 2021 here.

Tennessee employers need workers and the state is ready to help those workers get ready to reenter the workforce. www.TNWorkReady.com has the online resources available to job seekers all in one place. They can visit the page and take the steps needed to be work-ready in Tennessee.

In April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a record number of job openings. Jobs4TN.gov continues to have more than 250,000 available jobs posted, along with other job search resources that can help someone making the transition back into the workforce.