November 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
New data revealed the employment situation continued to improve for a majority of Tennessee’s counties including DeKalb County in October 2021, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Unemployment rates decreased in 65 counties during the month, while they remained the same in 20 counties, and increased in ten counties.
DeKalb County’s October jobless rate dropped to 3.7%, down from 4% in September and well below 8.5% in October 2020.
The local labor force for October 2021 was 7,536 and 7,255 were employed. A total of 281 were out of work.
Ninety-three counties reported October jobless numbers lower than 5% and two counties had unemployment rates slightly higher than 5%.
Williamson County’s unemployment rate was the lowest of all the counties for the month. At 2.2%, its October rate dropped by 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to September. Moore County had the second-lowest rate at 2.3%, which was unchanged from the previous month.
While Perry County once again had Tennessee’s highest unemployment rate in October, the county’s jobless number showed significant improvement for the month. The latest statistics show its rate dropped 3.1 percentage points, from 8.4% to 5.3%. Shelby County had the second-highest rate, but it also showed month-to-month improvement, as it decreased from 5.3% to 5%.
Statewide unemployment was lower for the fifth consecutive month in Tennessee. The new seasonally adjusted rate of 4.2% was 0.2 of a percentage point less than September’s revised rate of 4.4%.
The employment situation also improved nationally. The United States unemployment rate for October was 4.6%, down 0.2 of a percentage point from the previous month.
The state and national unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted to factor in seasonal economic influences such as school breaks and severe weather conditions, while county unemployment rates are not.