Counties in Tennessee by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 95 counties in January 2026, at 11.3%. Williamson County had the lowest, at 2.7%. The median was 3.9% and the figure for Tennessee was 3.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest11.3Perry County
Median3.995 counties
Tennessee3.5History

Top 40 counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 11.3 %11.3Cocke CountyCocke County: 6.4 %6.4Pickett CountyPickett County: 6 %6Hancock CountyHancock County: 5.8 %5.8Hardeman CountyHardeman County: 5.6 %5.6Decatur CountyDecatur County: 5.5 %5.5Lake CountyLake County: 5.3 %5.3Lewis CountyLewis County: 5.3 %5.3Maury CountyMaury County: 5.3 %5.3Meigs CountyMeigs County: 5.3 %5.3Sevier CountySevier County: 5.1 %5.1Benton CountyBenton County: 4.9 %4.9Greene CountyGreene County: 4.9 %4.9Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 4.9 %4.9Johnson CountyJohnson County: 4.8 %4.8Clay CountyClay County: 4.7 %4.7Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 4.7 %4.7Giles CountyGiles County: 4.7 %4.7Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 4.7 %4.7Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.7 %4.7Shelby CountyShelby County: 4.7 %4.7Henderson CountyHenderson County: 4.5 %4.5Rhea CountyRhea County: 4.5 %4.5Scott CountyScott County: 4.4 %4.4Carroll CountyCarroll County: 4.3 %4.3Claiborne CountyClaiborne County: 4.3 %4.3Grundy CountyGrundy County: 4.3 %4.3Henry CountyHenry County: 4.3 %4.3Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 4.3 %4.3McMinn CountyMcMinn County: 4.3 %4.3Sequatchie CountySequatchie County: 4.3 %4.3Unicoi CountyUnicoi County: 4.3 %4.3Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.3 %4.3Campbell CountyCampbell County: 4.2 %4.2Stewart CountyStewart County: 4.2 %4.2White CountyWhite County: 4.2 %4.2DeKalb CountyDeKalb County: 4 %4Humphreys CountyHumphreys County: 4 %4Jackson CountyJackson County: 4 %4Marion CountyMarion County: 4 %4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Perry County11.3+4.2 pts
2Cocke County6.4-0.5 pts
3Pickett County6-1.1 pts
4Hancock County5.8+1.2 pts
5Hardeman County5.6+0.3 pts
6Decatur County5.5-0.2 pts
7Lake County5.3+0.1 pts
7Lewis County5.3+1.3 pts
7Maury County5.3+2.1 pts
7Meigs County5.3-0.3 pts
11Sevier County5.10 pts
12Benton County4.90 pts
12Greene County4.9+0.2 pts
12Lauderdale County4.9-0.1 pts
15Johnson County4.8-1.4 pts
16Clay County4.7-0.1 pts
16Cumberland County4.7-0.5 pts
16Giles County4.7+0.4 pts
16Lawrence County4.7+0.5 pts
16Marshall County4.7+1.2 pts
16Shelby County4.70 pts
22Henderson County4.5+0.2 pts
22Rhea County4.50 pts
24Scott County4.4+0.4 pts
25Carroll County4.3-0.1 pts
25Claiborne County4.30 pts
25Grundy County4.3-0.1 pts
25Henry County4.3-0.1 pts
25Jefferson County4.3-0.1 pts
25McMinn County4.3-0.3 pts
25Sequatchie County4.3-0.1 pts
25Unicoi County4.3-1.3 pts
25Wayne County4.3-0.1 pts
34Campbell County4.2+0.2 pts
34Stewart County4.2+0.1 pts
34White County4.2-0.4 pts
37DeKalb County4-0.1 pts
37Humphreys County4-0.2 pts
37Jackson County4-0.6 pts
37Marion County4-0.4 pts
37Morgan County4-0.3 pts
42Chester County3.9-0.2 pts
42Hamblen County3.90 pts
42Hardin County3.9-0.1 pts
42Hawkins County3.9-0.4 pts
42Madison County3.9-0.3 pts
42McNairy County3.9-0.6 pts
42Montgomery County3.9+0.1 pts
42Weakley County3.9-0.5 pts
50Carter County3.8-0.6 pts
50Franklin County3.8-0.1 pts
50Gibson County3.80 pts
50Houston County3.8-0.9 pts
50Monroe County3.8-0.6 pts
50Overton County3.8-0.3 pts
50Polk County3.8-0.3 pts
50Union County3.8-0.2 pts
58Bradley County3.7-0.3 pts
58Grainger County3.7-0.4 pts
58Moore County3.7+0.1 pts
61Coffee County3.6+0.1 pts
61Dyer County3.60 pts
61Fayette County3.6-0.2 pts
61Hickman County3.6+0.1 pts
61Lincoln County3.6-0.1 pts
61Obion County3.6-0.3 pts
61Tipton County3.6-0.3 pts
61Warren County3.6-0.4 pts
69Putnam County3.50 pts
69Roane County3.5-0.5 pts
69Sullivan County3.5-0.2 pts
72Bedford County3.4+0.1 pts
72Crockett County3.4-0.4 pts
72Fentress County3.4-0.4 pts
72Hamilton County3.40 pts
72Haywood County3.4-0.3 pts
77Anderson County3.3-0.3 pts
77Smith County3.3-0.1 pts
79Bledsoe County3.2-0.4 pts
79Loudon County3.2-0.3 pts
79Trousdale County3.2-0.1 pts
79Van Buren County3.2-0.9 pts
79Washington County3.2-0.2 pts
84Blount County3.1-0.2 pts
85Cannon County3-0.3 pts
85Davidson County3-0.1 pts
85Robertson County30 pts
88Dickson County2.9-0.4 pts
88Knox County2.9-0.2 pts
88Macon County2.9-0.1 pts
88Rutherford County2.90 pts
88Sumner County2.9-0.2 pts
93Cheatham County2.8-0.2 pts
93Wilson County2.8-0.2 pts
95Williamson County2.7-0.1 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 11.3% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Williamson County, with 2.7% in January 2026.

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