Rutherford County Unemployment Down In July

NASHVILLE, TN — The unemployment rate in Rutherford County was 3.3 percent in July, down slightly — 0.1 percent — from the June number, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

That gives Rutherford County tied for the third-lowest unemployment rate in the state with Wilson, Sumner, Sevier and Cheatham counties and 0.2 percent below the leaders of Davidson and Williamson counties. Eight of the 10 lowest county numbers were in Middle Tennessee.

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While no one is complaining about a 3.3 percent unemployment rate, that figure was at 2 percent earlier in the spring, though some of that can be ascribed to the fact that county-level rates are not seasonally adjusted.

“The summer months typically have higher county unemployment rates because they are not adjusted for seasonal workers,” said TDLWD Commissioner Burns Phillips. “It is a positive sign that nearly three-quarters of the counties across the state saw their unemployment rates decrease or remain the same as they were in June."

In the last year, the Rutherford County jobless number has fallen a 0.9 percent.

The city-level rate in La Vergne was 3.4 percent, down 0.1 from June, and in Smyrna 3.2 percent, also down 0.1.

The state rate, reported last week, is 3.4 percent, down 0.2 percent from June's adjusted figure.

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