Counties in Tennessee by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 95 counties in September 2025, at 5.5%. Williamson County had the lowest, at 2.8%. The median was 3.8% and the figure for Tennessee was 3.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest5.5Perry County
Median3.895 counties
Tennessee3.5History

Top 40 counties, September 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 5.5 %5.5Hardeman CountyHardeman County: 5.1 %5.1Johnson CountyJohnson County: 4.9 %4.9Meigs CountyMeigs County: 4.9 %4.9Lake CountyLake County: 4.8 %4.8Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 4.8 %4.8Hancock CountyHancock County: 4.7 %4.7Greene CountyGreene County: 4.6 %4.6Pickett CountyPickett County: 4.6 %4.6Shelby CountyShelby County: 4.6 %4.6Cocke CountyCocke County: 4.5 %4.5Decatur CountyDecatur County: 4.5 %4.5Benton CountyBenton County: 4.4 %4.4Clay CountyClay County: 4.4 %4.4Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 4.3 %4.3Grundy CountyGrundy County: 4.3 %4.3McMinn CountyMcMinn County: 4.3 %4.3Carroll CountyCarroll County: 4.2 %4.2Chester CountyChester County: 4.2 %4.2DeKalb CountyDeKalb County: 4.2 %4.2White CountyWhite County: 4.2 %4.2Franklin CountyFranklin County: 4.1 %4.1Giles CountyGiles County: 4.1 %4.1Henderson CountyHenderson County: 4.1 %4.1McNairy CountyMcNairy County: 4.1 %4.1Rhea CountyRhea County: 4.1 %4.1Scott CountyScott County: 4.1 %4.1Claiborne CountyClaiborne County: 4 %4Gibson CountyGibson County: 4 %4Henry CountyHenry County: 4 %4Jackson CountyJackson County: 4 %4Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 4 %4Madison CountyMadison County: 4 %4Marion CountyMarion County: 4 %4Sequatchie CountySequatchie County: 4 %4Unicoi CountyUnicoi County: 4 %4Warren CountyWarren County: 4 %4Weakley CountyWeakley County: 4 %4Bradley CountyBradley County: 3.9 %3.9Carter CountyCarter County: 3.9 %3.9
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesSeptember 2025 (%)Change on September 2024
1Perry County5.5+0.7 pts
2Hardeman County5.1+0.6 pts
3Johnson County4.9+0.1 pts
3Meigs County4.9+0.1 pts
5Lake County4.80 pts
5Lauderdale County4.8+0.3 pts
7Hancock County4.7+0.4 pts
8Greene County4.6+0.2 pts
8Pickett County4.6+0.3 pts
8Shelby County4.6+0.1 pts
11Cocke County4.5+0.4 pts
11Decatur County4.5+0.4 pts
13Benton County4.4-0.3 pts
13Clay County4.4+0.2 pts
15Cumberland County4.30 pts
15Grundy County4.3-0.1 pts
15McMinn County4.3-0.2 pts
18Carroll County4.2+0.2 pts
18Chester County4.2+0.1 pts
18DeKalb County4.2-0.1 pts
18White County4.2+0.1 pts
22Franklin County4.1+0.2 pts
22Giles County4.10 pts
22Henderson County4.1+0.3 pts
22McNairy County4.1-0.1 pts
22Rhea County4.1+0.1 pts
22Scott County4.1+0.2 pts
28Claiborne County40 pts
28Gibson County4+0.2 pts
28Henry County4+0.1 pts
28Jackson County4+0.1 pts
28Lawrence County40 pts
28Madison County40 pts
28Marion County4+0.2 pts
28Sequatchie County4-0.1 pts
28Unicoi County4+0.3 pts
28Warren County4+0.1 pts
28Weakley County4-0.1 pts
39Bradley County3.9+0.3 pts
39Carter County3.9-0.1 pts
39Hardin County3.9+0.1 pts
39Hawkins County3.90 pts
39Houston County3.9-0.7 pts
39Monroe County3.9-0.3 pts
39Morgan County3.9-0.1 pts
39Polk County3.9+0.1 pts
47Fentress County3.8+0.2 pts
47Hamblen County3.8+0.3 pts
47Haywood County3.8+0.5 pts
47Lincoln County3.8+0.3 pts
47Montgomery County3.8+0.2 pts
47Tipton County3.8-0.1 pts
53Humphreys County3.7+0.1 pts
53Lewis County3.7+0.1 pts
53Roane County3.70 pts
53Stewart County3.70 pts
53Wayne County3.70 pts
58Bedford County3.6+0.3 pts
58Campbell County3.60 pts
58Coffee County3.6+0.2 pts
58Fayette County3.6-0.2 pts
58Obion County3.60 pts
58Putnam County3.6+0.3 pts
58Sullivan County3.6+0.1 pts
65Crockett County3.5-0.1 pts
65Dyer County3.5+0.1 pts
65Grainger County3.50 pts
65Jefferson County3.50 pts
65Marshall County3.5+0.1 pts
65Union County3.50 pts
71Anderson County3.40 pts
71Hamilton County3.4+0.2 pts
71Moore County3.40 pts
71Van Buren County3.4-0.3 pts
75Bledsoe County3.3+0.1 pts
75Loudon County3.3-0.1 pts
75Overton County3.3+0.1 pts
75Smith County3.3+0.4 pts
75Washington County3.30 pts
80Hickman County3.2-0.1 pts
81Cannon County3.1-0.1 pts
81Maury County3.1+0.1 pts
81Robertson County3.1+0.1 pts
81Trousdale County3.1+0.1 pts
85Blount County3-0.1 pts
85Davidson County3+0.1 pts
85Dickson County3+0.1 pts
85Knox County30 pts
85Macon County30 pts
85Rutherford County3+0.2 pts
85Sumner County3+0.1 pts
85Wilson County3+0.1 pts
93Cheatham County2.9-0.1 pts
93Sevier County2.9+0.1 pts
95Williamson County2.80 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Perry County, with 5.5% in September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Williamson County, with 2.8% in September 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings