Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate

Van Buren County had the highest job destruction rate of 95 counties in 2018, at 28.603%. Moore County had the lowest, at 4.824%. The median was 10.391% and the figure for Tennessee was 10.668%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest28.603Van Buren County
Lowest4.824Moore County
Median10.39195 counties
Tennessee10.668History

Map of counties, 2018

Anderson County: 9.806 %Bedford County: 7.268 %Benton County: 14.967 %Bledsoe County: 12.081 %Blount County: 10.178 %Bradley County: 8.756 %Campbell County: 11.58 %Cannon County: 8.594 %Carroll County: 14.701 %Carter County: 12.186 %Cheatham County: 8.934 %Chester County: 13.532 %Claiborne County: 6.029 %Clay County: 10.031 %Cocke County: 10.951 %Coffee County: 8.859 %Crockett County: 10.831 %Cumberland County: 6.448 %Davidson County: 10.722 %Decatur County: 7.409 %DeKalb County: 5.02 %Dickson County: 10.56 %Dyer County: 10.987 %Fayette County: 8.961 %Fentress County: 9.295 %Franklin County: 6.992 %Gibson County: 13.472 %Giles County: 15.385 %Grainger County: 8.972 %Greene County: 8.145 %Grundy County: 15.541 %Hamblen County: 8.786 %Hamilton County: 8.843 %Hancock County: 11.161 %Hardeman County: 8.67 %Hardin County: 10.156 %Hawkins County: 9.095 %Haywood County: 12.916 %Henderson County: 15.117 %Henry County: 9.721 %Hickman County: 9.984 %Houston County: 16.863 %Humphreys County: 9.091 %Jackson County: 17.201 %Jefferson County: 6.548 %Johnson County: 9.935 %Knox County: 10.611 %Lake County: 13.498 %Lauderdale County: 14.744 %Lawrence County: 12.473 %Lewis County: 7.287 %Lincoln County: 8.531 %Loudon County: 9.805 %McMinn County: 8.405 %McNairy County: 12.519 %Macon County: 11.481 %Madison County: 9.6 %Marion County: 10.749 %Marshall County: 8.105 %Maury County: 10.727 %Meigs County: 8.499 %Monroe County: 10.897 %Montgomery County: 10.251 %Moore County: 4.824 %Morgan County: 12.21 %Obion County: 10.256 %Overton County: 11.661 %Perry County: 11.311 %Pickett County: 14.145 %Polk County: 12.514 %Putnam County: 9.246 %Rhea County: 15.054 %Roane County: 9.613 %Robertson County: 7.646 %Rutherford County: 7.439 %Scott County: 11.306 %Sequatchie County: 9.366 %Sevier County: 10.401 %Shelby County: 11.464 %Smith County: 10.391 %Stewart County: 8.799 %Sullivan County: 11.046 %Sumner County: 11.162 %Tipton County: 9.681 %Trousdale County: 10.906 %Unicoi County: 10.938 %Union County: 7.757 %Van Buren County: 28.603 %Warren County: 13.288 %Washington County: 10.309 %Wayne County: 7.44 %Weakley County: 11.973 %White County: 10.475 %Williamson County: 11.395 %Wilson County: 10.613 %
  • Under 8.5
  • 8.5 to 9.3
  • 9.3 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2018. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Van Buren County: 28.603 %Van Buren County28.603Jackson County: 17.201 %Jackson County17.201Houston County: 16.863 %Houston County16.863Grundy County: 15.541 %Grundy County15.541Giles County: 15.385 %Giles County15.385Henderson County: 15.117 %Henderson County15.117Rhea County: 15.054 %Rhea County15.054Benton County: 14.967 %Benton County14.967Lauderdale County: 14.744 %Lauderdale County14.744Carroll County: 14.701 %Carroll County14.701Pickett County: 14.145 %Pickett County14.145Chester County: 13.532 %Chester County13.532Lake County: 13.498 %Lake County13.498Gibson County: 13.472 %Gibson County13.472Warren County: 13.288 %Warren County13.288Haywood County: 12.916 %Haywood County12.916McNairy County: 12.519 %McNairy County12.519Polk County: 12.514 %Polk County12.514Lawrence County: 12.473 %Lawrence County12.473Morgan County: 12.21 %Morgan County12.21Carter County: 12.186 %Carter County12.186Bledsoe County: 12.081 %Bledsoe County12.081Weakley County: 11.973 %Weakley County11.973Overton County: 11.661 %Overton County11.661Campbell County: 11.58 %Campbell County11.58Macon County: 11.481 %Macon County11.481Shelby County: 11.464 %Shelby County11.464Williamson County: 11.395 %Williamson County11.395Perry County: 11.311 %Perry County11.311Scott County: 11.306 %Scott County11.306Sumner County: 11.162 %Sumner County11.162Hancock County: 11.161 %Hancock County11.161Sullivan County: 11.046 %Sullivan County11.046Dyer County: 10.987 %Dyer County10.987Cocke County: 10.951 %Cocke County10.951Unicoi County: 10.938 %Unicoi County10.938Trousdale County: 10.906 %Trousdale County10.906Monroe County: 10.897 %Monroe County10.897Crockett County: 10.831 %Crockett County10.831Marion County: 10.749 %Marion County10.749Van Buren County: 28.603 %Van Buren County28.603Jackson County: 17.201 %Jackson County17.201Houston County: 16.863 %Houston County16.863Grundy County: 15.541 %Grundy County15.541Giles County: 15.385 %Giles County15.385Henderson County: 15.117 %Henderson County15.117Rhea County: 15.054 %Rhea County15.054Benton County: 14.967 %Benton County14.967Lauderdale County: 14.744 %Lauderdale County14.744Carroll County: 14.701 %Carroll County14.701Pickett County: 14.145 %Pickett County14.145Chester County: 13.532 %Chester County13.532Lake County: 13.498 %Lake County13.498Gibson County: 13.472 %Gibson County13.472Warren County: 13.288 %Warren County13.288Haywood County: 12.916 %Haywood County12.916McNairy County: 12.519 %McNairy County12.519Polk County: 12.514 %Polk County12.514Lawrence County: 12.473 %Lawrence County12.473Morgan County: 12.21 %Morgan County12.21Carter County: 12.186 %Carter County12.186Bledsoe County: 12.081 %Bledsoe County12.081Weakley County: 11.973 %Weakley County11.973Overton County: 11.661 %Overton County11.661Campbell County: 11.58 %Campbell County11.58Macon County: 11.481 %Macon County11.481Shelby County: 11.464 %Shelby County11.464Williamson County: 11.395 %Williamson County11.395Perry County: 11.311 %Perry County11.311Scott County: 11.306 %Scott County11.306Sumner County: 11.162 %Sumner County11.162Hancock County: 11.161 %Hancock County11.161Sullivan County: 11.046 %Sullivan County11.046Dyer County: 10.987 %Dyer County10.987Cocke County: 10.951 %Cocke County10.951Unicoi County: 10.938 %Unicoi County10.938Trousdale County: 10.906 %Trousdale County10.906Monroe County: 10.897 %Monroe County10.897Crockett County: 10.831 %Crockett County10.831Marion County: 10.749 %Marion County10.749
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Van Buren County28.603+10.83 pts
2Jackson County17.201-1.79 pts
3Houston County16.863+6.79 pts
4Grundy County15.541+0.69 pts
5Giles County15.385+5.99 pts
6Henderson County15.117+3.56 pts
7Rhea County15.054+8.85 pts
8Benton County14.967+3.38 pts
9Lauderdale County14.744+7.88 pts
10Carroll County14.701-2.73 pts
11Pickett County14.145+8.7 pts
12Chester County13.532+2.71 pts
13Lake County13.498+0.39 pts
14Gibson County13.472+0.45 pts
15Warren County13.288+3.04 pts
16Haywood County12.916-0.95 pts
17McNairy County12.519-2.81 pts
18Polk County12.514-1.94 pts
19Lawrence County12.473+3.37 pts
20Morgan County12.21-0.35 pts
21Carter County12.186+1.53 pts
22Bledsoe County12.081+2.29 pts
23Weakley County11.973+2.47 pts
24Overton County11.661+4.56 pts
25Campbell County11.58-4.3 pts
26Macon County11.481-1.57 pts
27Shelby County11.464-0.63 pts
28Williamson County11.395+0.38 pts
29Perry County11.311+4.34 pts
30Scott County11.306-0.2 pts
31Sumner County11.162-2.08 pts
32Hancock County11.161-2.25 pts
33Sullivan County11.046+1.83 pts
34Dyer County10.987+0.76 pts
35Cocke County10.951+2.68 pts
36Unicoi County10.938+4.34 pts
37Trousdale County10.906+5.3 pts
38Monroe County10.897+2.39 pts
39Crockett County10.831+0.18 pts
40Marion County10.749+0.72 pts
41Maury County10.727-2.29 pts
42Davidson County10.722-3.97 pts
43Wilson County10.613+0.31 pts
44Knox County10.611-0.99 pts
45Dickson County10.56-1.17 pts
46White County10.475-6.55 pts
47Sevier County10.401-2 pts
48Smith County10.391-11.36 pts
49Washington County10.309-3.09 pts
50Obion County10.256-1.4 pts
51Montgomery County10.251+0.87 pts
52Blount County10.178-0.78 pts
53Hardin County10.156+2.34 pts
54Clay County10.031-1.63 pts
55Hickman County9.984-1.62 pts
56Johnson County9.935+2.26 pts
57Anderson County9.806+0.72 pts
58Loudon County9.805-1.24 pts
59Henry County9.721+0.54 pts
60Tipton County9.681+0.17 pts
61Roane County9.613-3.85 pts
62Madison County9.6+1.8 pts
63Sequatchie County9.366-0.12 pts
64Fentress County9.295+0.78 pts
65Putnam County9.246+0.9 pts
66Hawkins County9.095+0.06 pts
67Humphreys County9.091-0.23 pts
68Grainger County8.972-4.62 pts
69Fayette County8.961-2.96 pts
70Cheatham County8.934-2.81 pts
71Coffee County8.859-8.31 pts
72Hamilton County8.843-0.22 pts
73Stewart County8.799-1.14 pts
74Hamblen County8.786-1.41 pts
75Bradley County8.756-1.13 pts
76Hardeman County8.67+1.4 pts
77Cannon County8.594-2.88 pts
78Lincoln County8.531-2.78 pts
79Meigs County8.499-1.31 pts
80McMinn County8.405+0.07 pts
81Greene County8.145-3.3 pts
82Marshall County8.105-1.47 pts
83Union County7.757-2.1 pts
84Robertson County7.646-1.4 pts
85Wayne County7.44-2.15 pts
86Rutherford County7.439-3.41 pts
87Decatur County7.409+0.87 pts
88Lewis County7.287-4.37 pts
89Bedford County7.268-1.55 pts
90Franklin County6.992-2.26 pts
91Jefferson County6.548-3.49 pts
92Cumberland County6.448-4.02 pts
93Claiborne County6.029-2.43 pts
94DeKalb County5.02-9.28 pts
95Moore County4.824-5.85 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Tennessee by job destruction rate, 2018
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/tennessee-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Van Buren County, with 28.603% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Moore County, with 4.824% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings