County jobless rates rise across state

Cocke County, along with all 95 counties across Tennessee, saw its June jobless rate increase according to data released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development (TDLWD).

According to the report, Cocke County’s unemployment rate saw an overall 22% increase going from a jobless rate of 3.5% in May to 4.5% in June. However, the June 2024 rate still was lower than one year earlier when TDLWD reported a jobless rate of 4.7% for Cocke County for June 2023.

The TDLWD report cited seasonal changes in employment that occur annually, such as school breaks, for the increases in June. It also noted that unlike the statewide unemployment rate, which remains at an all-time low in Tennessee, county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted to consider the effects of seasonal impacts on employment.

Surrounding counties also saw the impact of seasonal changes on their respective jobless rates.

Greene County saw a significant overall increase of 31% with its June unemployment rate jumping to 5.2% from 3.6% in May. It was one of only 13 counties registering an unemployment rate of 5% or higher in June, landing at No. 8 (89th overall) in the bottom 10.

On the other end of the spectrum for neighboring counties, Sevier County, along with Williamson County in Middle Tennessee, boasted the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.7% for June. However it still represented a 22% increase over May’s rate of 2.1%.

Hamblen County saw its June jobless rate increase to 3.9% from 2.9% in May. Similarly, Jefferson County’s unemployment rate increased from 2.9% in May to 3.8% in June.

For the second consecutive month, Bledsoe County had the state’s highest jobless rate, posting 5.8% in June.