Record-high unemployment rates recorded in counties across Tennessee in April experienced sizable decreases as the state slowly reopened in May 2020. Cumberland County’s May unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, down 3.9 percent from April’s rate of 12.7 percent but 3.9 percent higher than the May 2019 rate of 4.9 percent.
All 95 of Tennessee’s counties had lower unemployment rates in May, compared to the number of individuals who could not work in April when many businesses closed in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Weakley County had Tennessee’s lowest unemployment rate in May at 7% percent.
Fentress County had the second-lowest figure in May at 7.1percent, down from 9.9% the month before.
Sevier County continued to have the highest rate of unemployment in Tennessee. Still, the county’s new rate of 18.5% is a staggering drop of 10.6 percentage points from April’s record high of 29.1%.
At 17.6%, Warren County recorded the second-highest unemployment rate in May, down 7.5 percentage points from April’s rate.
The statewide unemployment statistic from May also decreased significantly. The new preliminary rate of 11.3% is down from the revised April rate of 15.5%.
Nationwide, unemployment decreased to 13.3% in May, down from the 14.7% rate recorded the month before.