Local Jobless Rate Falls To 8 Percent

NASHVILLE – The uemployment rate in Cannon County dropped a full percentage point in October.

Statistics released this week by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development show Cannon Co. with an unemployment rate of 8.0 percent.

That's down from the 9.0 jobless rate in September of this year, and 1.6 percent from October 2010.

Cannon Co. had an estimated labor force of 6.710 in October, of which 6,170 were employed.

Statewide, county non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for October 2011, released Tuesday, show that the rate increased in one county, decreased in 92 counties, and two counties remained the same.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate for October fell to 9.6 percent, down from the September revised rate of 9.8. The national unemployment rate for October 2011 was 9.0 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the September rate.

Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 5.8 percent, down from the September rate of 6.6 percent, followed by Williamson County at 6.3 percent, down from 7.0 percent. Scott County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 18.1 percent, down from 19.5 percent in the previous month, followed by Obion County at 15.6, down from 16.9 percent in September.

Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 6.7 percent, down from 7.7 percent the previous month.  Hamilton County was 7.8 percent, down from 8.6 percent in September.  Davidson County was 7.8 percent, down from 8.7 percent in September, and Shelby County was 10.1 percent, down from the September unemployment rate of 10.8 percent.