Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development Karla Davis announced recently that DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for September stood at 9.6 percent, up .2 percent from revised August numbers, and up .7 percent from September’s recorded rate of 8.9 percent.
DeKalb County’s labor force numbered 10,130 for September, with 9,150 of those people employed and 980 out of work.
Cannon County’s rate of 9 percent in September was down .5 percent from August.
White County had a 12 percent rate last month, up .4 percent from the August number of 11.6.
Warren County’s 11.4 percent rate was unchanged from August, while Putnam registered a .2 percent drop from the August rate of 9.2 percent.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for September was 9.8 percent, up slightly from the August revised rate of 9.7.
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Tennessee for September 2011, released last week, show that the rate increased in 51 counties, decreased in 32 counties, and 12 counties remained the same.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for September was 9.8 percent, up .1 percent from the August revised rate of 9.7.
The national unemployment rate for September was 9.1 percent, unchanged from the August revised rate.
Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 6.6 percent, up from the August rate of 6.4 percent, followed by Williamson County at 6.9 percent, up from 6.8 percent.
Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 19.5 percent, down from 19.7 percent in the previous month, followed by Obion County at 17, up from 16.6 percent in August.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 7.7 percent, unchanged from the previous month.
Hamilton County was 8.6 percent, also unchanged from August.
Davidson County was 8.7 percent, down from 8.8 percent in August, and Shelby County was 10.8 percent, up from the August unemployment rate of 10.4 percent.
“The unemployment rate rose slightly due to a small decline in employment,” Commissioner Davis said.
“There were seasonal gains in employment in areas like education, along with losses in leisure and hospitality. The net result was little change in the state’s employment picture.”
University of Tennessee Economist Bill Fox stated there are positive indicators despite the increase in the unemployment rate.
“There is some good news associated with the increase in durable goods manufacturing during the month,” Fox said.
“Year over year, Tennessee’s employment growth rate continues to show better performance than the nation.”
Month-to-month increases occurred in government, up 19,500 jobs, educational and health services, up 3,400, and durable goods manufacturing increased by 1,400.
From August to September leisure and hospitality decreased by 5,500, administrative, support, and waste services was down 1,000.
Merchant wholesalers of non-durable goods declined by 700 jobs.
Year-over-year increases took place in professional and business services, up 7,900 jobs; local government educational services was up 6,400; and educational and health services increased by 6,000.
Employment decreases took place in retail trade, which decreased by 4,400, nondurable goods manufacturing was down 1,800 and federal government declined by 1,200.
Specific county information is available on the Internet at http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/sept2011county.pdf
Unemployment hits 9.6 percent in DeKalb

