County unemployment rates for May 2015, released Thursday, show the rates increased in 92 counties, decreased in one county and remained the same in two. Specific county information for May is available at http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/labor/attachments/LaborMAY2015.pdf
Davidson County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate in May at 4.5 percent, up from 4.1 percent in April. Knox County was 4.7 percent in May, up from 4.3 the previous month. The Hamilton County May rate was 5.5 percent, up from 4.9 in April. Shelby County was 6.7 percent in May, up from 6.1 percent the previous month.
Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for May was 5.8 percent, two-tenths of one percentage point lower than the April revised rate of 6.0 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for May was 5.5 percent, one-tenth of one percentage point higher than 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.