Monday, April 29, 2019 2:41 am

NASHVILLE - There was a slight rise in Cannon County's unemployment rate in March.

According to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), Cannon County has an unemployment rate in March of 3.0 percent.

That figure represents a .3 percent increase from February, when the rate was 2.7 percent.

TDLWD data shows the county had an eligible workforce of 6,560 people in March. Of those, 6,360 were listed as employed, leaving 200 out of the workforce.

Statewide, Eighty of Tennessee's 95 counties recorded an unemployment rate in March 2019 that is lower compared to the same time last year. Also, in the year-to-year comparison, the rates in nine counties held steady, while six counties saw increases.

Comparing March 2019 statistics to the previous month, 69 counties experienced a slight uptick in unemployment, while rates decreased in 17 counties and remained the same in nine Tennessee counties.

"Even though many counties did see a small increase in their unemployment rates, Tennessee continues a pattern of low unemployment," said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. "Unemployment in many areas of the state mirrors or is even lower than it was the same month last year."

Williamson County has the state's lowest unemployment rate at 2.4 percent, which is a 0.3 of a percentage point increase from February but is still 0.1 of a percentage point lower than this time last year.

Davidson and Rutherford counties follow with a March rate of 2.5 percent. The latest statistics represent a 0.2 of a percentage point increase for both counties, but the current rates still best their March 2018 numbers.

Clay County has the state's highest unemployment rate in March at 6.0 percent, up 0.7 of a percentage point from the previous month. The latest rate is also up 0.8 percent from March 2018.

Hancock County follows Clay with the second highest unemployment rate in the state. The county's latest rate mirrors its number from February, but it is up 1.0 percentage point from this month last year.

Statewide, unemployment remains at a historic low in Tennessee. The March 2019 seasonally adjusted rate of 3.2 percent is unchanged from February when unemployment reached an all-time low in the state.

Across the nation, unemployment in March also remained the same as the previous month at 3.8 percent.

County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted, while the state and national rates use the seasonal adjustment to eliminate outside influences on the statistics.