Counties in Tennessee by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 95 counties in May 2026, at 5.3%. Williamson County had the lowest, at 2.4%. The median was 3.4% and the figure for Tennessee was 3.6%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest5.3Perry County
Median3.495 counties
Tennessee3.6History

Top 40 counties, May 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 5.3 %5.3Pickett CountyPickett County: 4.8 %4.8Hancock CountyHancock County: 4.7 %4.7Hardeman CountyHardeman County: 4.7 %4.7Lewis CountyLewis County: 4.5 %4.5Maury CountyMaury County: 4.5 %4.5Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 4.3 %4.3Meigs CountyMeigs County: 4.3 %4.3Shelby CountyShelby County: 4.3 %4.3Lake CountyLake County: 4.2 %4.2Benton CountyBenton County: 4.1 %4.1Giles CountyGiles County: 4.1 %4.1Decatur CountyDecatur County: 4 %4Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4 %4McMinn CountyMcMinn County: 4 %4Cocke CountyCocke County: 3.9 %3.9Greene CountyGreene County: 3.9 %3.9Johnson CountyJohnson County: 3.9 %3.9Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 3.9 %3.9White CountyWhite County: 3.9 %3.9Carroll CountyCarroll County: 3.8 %3.8Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 3.8 %3.8Henry CountyHenry County: 3.8 %3.8Rhea CountyRhea County: 3.8 %3.8Scott CountyScott County: 3.8 %3.8Weakley CountyWeakley County: 3.8 %3.8DeKalb CountyDeKalb County: 3.7 %3.7Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 3.7 %3.7Chester CountyChester County: 3.6 %3.6Clay CountyClay County: 3.6 %3.6Henderson CountyHenderson County: 3.6 %3.6Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.6 %3.6Grundy CountyGrundy County: 3.5 %3.5Houston CountyHouston County: 3.5 %3.5Madison CountyMadison County: 3.5 %3.5McNairy CountyMcNairy County: 3.5 %3.5Morgan CountyMorgan County: 3.5 %3.5Stewart CountyStewart County: 3.5 %3.5Campbell CountyCampbell County: 3.4 %3.4Carter CountyCarter County: 3.4 %3.4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMay 2026 (%)Change on May 2025
1Perry County5.3+0.4 pts
2Pickett County4.8+0.2 pts
3Hancock County4.7+0.5 pts
3Hardeman County4.7-0.2 pts
5Lewis County4.5+1 pts
5Maury County4.5+1.7 pts
7Lauderdale County4.3-0.2 pts
7Meigs County4.3-0.3 pts
7Shelby County4.3+0.1 pts
10Lake County4.2-0.8 pts
11Benton County4.1-0.1 pts
11Giles County4.1+0.1 pts
13Decatur County4-0.3 pts
13Marshall County4+0.8 pts
13McMinn County4-0.3 pts
16Cocke County3.9-0.4 pts
16Greene County3.9-0.2 pts
16Johnson County3.9-1.1 pts
16Lawrence County3.9+0.2 pts
16White County3.9-0.2 pts
21Carroll County3.8-0.1 pts
21Cumberland County3.8-0.3 pts
21Henry County3.8-0.1 pts
21Rhea County3.80 pts
21Scott County3.80 pts
21Weakley County3.8+0.1 pts
27DeKalb County3.70 pts
27Lincoln County3.7+0.3 pts
29Chester County3.6-0.2 pts
29Clay County3.6-0.6 pts
29Henderson County3.6-0.3 pts
29Jackson County3.6-0.3 pts
33Grundy County3.5-0.4 pts
33Houston County3.5-0.4 pts
33Madison County3.5-0.2 pts
33McNairy County3.5-0.6 pts
33Morgan County3.5-0.2 pts
33Stewart County3.5-0.1 pts
39Campbell County3.40 pts
39Carter County3.4-0.3 pts
39Claiborne County3.4-0.3 pts
39Hardin County3.4-0.5 pts
39Hawkins County3.4-0.3 pts
39Marion County3.4-0.5 pts
39Monroe County3.4-0.3 pts
39Montgomery County3.40 pts
39Polk County3.4-0.2 pts
39Tipton County3.4-0.2 pts
39Warren County3.4-0.2 pts
39Wayne County3.40 pts
51Bradley County3.3-0.3 pts
51Fayette County3.3-0.1 pts
51Fentress County3.3-0.1 pts
51Franklin County3.3-0.4 pts
51Gibson County3.3-0.1 pts
51Humphreys County3.3-0.2 pts
51Sequatchie County3.3-0.5 pts
51Unicoi County3.3-0.9 pts
59Dyer County3.2-0.2 pts
59Hickman County3.2+0.2 pts
59Overton County3.20 pts
59Putnam County3.2-0.1 pts
59Van Buren County3.2-0.1 pts
64Grainger County3.1-0.3 pts
64Hamblen County3.1-0.4 pts
64Haywood County3.1-0.5 pts
64Roane County3.1-0.3 pts
64Sullivan County3.1-0.2 pts
64Union County3.1-0.3 pts
70Bedford County3-0.2 pts
70Coffee County3-0.5 pts
70Hamilton County3-0.1 pts
70Jefferson County3-0.4 pts
70Moore County3-0.1 pts
70Obion County3-0.3 pts
76Anderson County2.9-0.2 pts
76Smith County2.9-0.1 pts
76Washington County2.9-0.2 pts
79Crockett County2.8-0.6 pts
79Trousdale County2.8-0.1 pts
81Bledsoe County2.7-0.3 pts
81Davidson County2.7-0.1 pts
81Loudon County2.7-0.4 pts
81Robertson County2.7-0.1 pts
85Blount County2.6-0.3 pts
85Cannon County2.6-0.3 pts
85Macon County2.6-0.3 pts
85Rutherford County2.6-0.1 pts
85Sevier County2.6-0.1 pts
85Sumner County2.6-0.2 pts
85Wilson County2.6-0.1 pts
92Dickson County2.5-0.3 pts
92Knox County2.5-0.3 pts
94Cheatham County2.4-0.3 pts
94Williamson County2.4-0.2 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 5.3% in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Williamson County, with 2.4% in May 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