By Amye Anderson
UCBJ Managing Editor
UPPER CUMBERLAND – While the unemployment rate for the Upper Cumberland region gained a tenth of a percentage point over the previous month, the May 2018 unemployment rate (3.1 percent) is still well below the May 2017 reported rate of 3.6 percent.
Falling at or below the state’s reported unemployment rate of 3 percent, Cannon (2.7), Macon (2.7), Overton (3.0), Pickett (2.6), and Putnam (3.0) counties reported minimal increases over April’s unemployment rates but remained well below 2017 numbers for the same month.
Van Buren County (4.4) was the only UC county to report an unemployment rate exceeding 4 percent. Rounding out the UC, and still within the nation’s overall unemployment rate, were Clay (3.8), DeKalb (3.8), and Fentress (3.3) counties.
May unemployment rates in Cumberland (3.3), Jackson (3.7), and Pickett counties did not change from the previous month.
| Counties | May 2018 | April 2018 | May 2017 |
| Cannon | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| Clay | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
| Cumberland | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| DeKalb | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 |
| Fentress | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
| Jackson | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| Macon | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
| Overton | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
| Pickett | 2.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 |
| Putnam | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| Smith | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.0 |
| Van Buren | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
| Warren | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
| White | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| UC | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.6 |
| TN | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
