County unemployment rates for March 2015, released Thursday, show the rates decreased in 88 counties, increased in five counties, and remained the same in two counties. Specific county information for March is available at http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/LaborMAR2015.pdf.
Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate in March at 4.4 percent, down from 4.8 percent in February.
Knox County was 4.7 percent in March, down from 5.1 the previous month. The Hamilton County March rate was 5.4 percent, down from 5.9 in February. Shelby County was 6.7 percent in March, down from 7.2 percent the previous month.
Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for March was 6.3 percent, three-tenths of one percentage point lower than the February revised rate of 6.6 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for March was 5.5 percent, unchanged from the prior month.
The state and national unemployment rates are 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.