Tennessee Unemployment Ticks Up, Still Just 3.1 Percent

NASHVILLE, TN -- Unemployment crept up slightly in Tennessee in November, but at 3.1 percent, it's still a two points below the same month in 2016.

In addition to being down from 5.1 percent in a year, the jobless rate is also a full point below the national unemployment rate.

The state unemployment rate reached 3 percent in both September and October, its lowest level since the federal government began tracking the statistic in 1976.

Total nonfarm employment in Tennessee grew by 1,800 jobs in November. The state’s leisure and hospitality industry saw the biggest gains between October and November.

Tennessee first marked a historic low unemployment rate in June at 3.6 percent, which was bested by the July rate of 3.4 percent, and then fell even lower in August to 3.3 percent. It hit a new historic low of 3 percent in both September and October. November’s rate is the third lowest in the last six months.

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