County's Jobless Rate Rises 0.2 Percent

Figures released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development show a slight increase in Cannon County's unemployment rate.

Cannon County's jobless rate for May was 7.5 percent, up from 7.3 percent in April.

State statistics show Cannon County had an estimated labor workforce of 6,650 in May, an increase of 60 from the April number of 6,590. The number of estimated employed workers in May was 6,140, up 50 from 6,090 in April. The total number of unemployed was 510, compared to 500 the month before.

Statewide, county non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for May 2012 show the rate decreased in three counties, increased in 87 counties, and remained the same in five counties.

Tennessee's unemployment rate for May rose to 7.9 percent, up from the April revised rate of 7.7 percent. The national unemployment rate for May 2012 was 8.2 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than the April rate.

The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 6.0 percent, up from 5.8 percent in April.  Davidson County was 6.7 percent, up from 6.5 percent in the previous month. Hamilton County was 7.4 percent, up from 7.0 percent, and Shelby County was 8.8 percent, up from the April unemployment rate of 8.3 percent.