RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. – Newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed nearly every county in Tennessee had unemployment rates below 5% in April. Perry County was the only county with a rate above 5% and its April number came in at 5.1%.
Rutherford County fell to number 7 on the list of the Top Ten Counties with the lowest unemployment figures in Tennessee, tying with Cheatham, Knox, Robertson and Hickman Counties.
CITY BY CITY NUMBERS: Smyrna had the lowest jobless in Rutherford County this past April (2022). Smyrna's unemployment numbers came in at 2.4% last month, which is a 1.5% drop compared to April of 2021 (unemployment rate of 3.9% in April of 2021). Murfreesboro's jobless rate for April was 2.6%. One year prior in 2021, Murfreesboro recorded a 3.9% unemployment rate. LaVergne had an unemployment rate of 2.6% last month, which was a big improvement compared to the 4.5% unemployment rate that was recorded in April of 2021.
MORE COUNTY BY COUNTY NUMBERS: When further dissecting county unemployment figures, Rutherford County, with a 2.3% jobless rate, has 4,643 unemployed residents and 192,946 working residents. Williamson County, sitting at a 1.9% unemployment rate, has 2,653 residents who are unemployed and 136,449 working residents. Davidson County, which is hovering at a 2.7% unemployment rate, has 11,169 potential workers out of work and 406,782 with jobs. Coffee County, with a labor force of 25,131 workers, saw a 2.9% unemployment rate in April with 731 non-employed residents. Cannon County had a 2.5% jobless rate in April with only 171 residents without a job. Bedford County currently has 619 unemployed residents, equaling an unemployment rate of 2.9% in April of 2022.
In looking at specific cities outside of the Murfreesboro area, Nashville's jobless rate in April was 2.7%. One year prior, Music City recorded a 4.6% unemployment rate (April of 2021). Nearby Lebanon, Tennessee had a 2.9% unemployment rate last month. In April of 2021, Lebanon recorded a 4.2% jobless rate. In Williamson County, Franklin had the lowest unemployment rate last month. Franklin was confirmed to have a 1.9% unemployment rate in April, with 980 unemployed residents in their labor force. Brentwood recorded a 2.1% unemployment rate last month (April of 2022). Brentwood has 486 unemployed residents and 22,758 employed residents.
In further examining Williamson County numbers, Spring Hill, Tennessee stands out as an unusual city because a portion of Spring Hill is in Maury County, while another portion of the city is actually in Williamson County. Spring Hill had a 2.4% unemployment rate last month and recorded 650 unemployed residents in their labor workforce. Maury County had a 2.8% unemployment figure, while Williamson County recorded a 1.9% unemployment rate.
More on April 2022 Unemployment in Tennessee
Unemployment rates decreased in 12 Tennessee counties in April. Sixty counties did experience slight increases in their rates for the month, while jobless numbers remained unchanged in 23 counties.
Williamson County recorded the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2%, which is 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the county’s March rate of 1.9%. Moore County had the next lowest rate in April at 2.1%, up 0.2 of a percentage point from the previous month’s number.
At 5.1%, Perry County had the month’s highest unemployment rate but unemployment in the county was down 0.1 of a percentage point from its March rate of 5.2%. Cocke County had the second-highest rate in April at 4.8% but its rate dropped by 0.3 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates county and statewide unemployment rates differently. It does not factor in seasonal impacts on data when determining county unemployment rates, while it does seasonally adjust the statewide unemployment number.
Across Tennessee, unemployment remained at a historic low in April. March’s record-breaking rate of 3.2% bested the previous record of 3.3% and held steady into April.
The national unemployment rate also remained unchanged in April at 3.6%. One year ago, the national rate came in at 6%.
A report containing a complete analysis of the state’s April 2022 county unemployment data is available here.
The state provides a wide range of free services that can help Tennesseans searching for work find good, meaningful employment. Job seekers can start their journey back into the workforce at www.TNWorkReady.com.
Unemployment in Years Past for Rutherford County
Looking to years past, Rutherford County has continued to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Volunteer State. As an example, In February of 2016, Rutherford County had the 3rd lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.3%. In February of 2017, the rate came in at 3.7%, which placed Rutherford County at number 3 on the Top Ten List of counties with the lowest unemployment rates in Tennessee. April of 2017 equaled even lower unemployment numbers at 2.9%. The following year, Rutherford County again had the 3rd lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.3%, according to jobless numbers released in May of 2018.
By March of 2019, the numbers went even lower and fell to a 2.5% jobless rate. However, the numbers began to climb as the summer of 2019 began. In June of 2019, Rutherford County's jobless rate was number 4 on the list at 3.2%. In the midst of the COVID Pandemic, Rutherford County's unemployment rate continued an upward trend, which took the county off the top ten list of counties with the lowest unemployment rate in the state. September of 2020 equaled Rutherford County having an unemployment figure of 5.4%. In April of 2021, Rutherford County had an unemployment rate of 3.6%.
