Every Upper Cumberland County Saw A Change In July
(UCBJ) – Unemployment rates declined in all 14 Upper Cumberland counties in July, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The combined unemployment rate was approximately 3.8% in July, down from 4% in June.
The region’s labor force was 160,186, including 154,153 employed and 6,033 unemployed.
Macon County had the lowest unemployment rate at 3%, down from 3.2% in June and 3.5% in July 2025. Cannon County followed at 3.1%, while Smith County reported 3.2%.
Four counties reported July unemployment rates of 3.5% or lower:
- Macon County: 3.0%
- Cannon County: 3.1%
- Smith County: 3.2%
- Overton County: 3.5%
Putnam County landed at 3.7%, down from 4% in June and 4.3% a year earlier. The county had 36,707 employed and 1,405 unemployed, while Pickett County had the highest unemployment rate at 5% in July, down from 5.6% in June and 5.4% in July 2025.
July unemployment rates across the Upper Cumberland:
- Cannon County: 3.1%
- Clay County: 4.2%
- Cumberland County: 4.2%
- DeKalb County: 4.3%
- Fentress County: 3.6%
- Jackson County: 4.0%
- Macon County: 3.0%
- Overton County: 3.5%
- Pickett County: 5.0%
- Putnam County: 3.7%
- Smith County: 3.2%
- Van Buren County: 3.6%
- Warren County: 4.1%
- White County: 4.2%
All 14 counties recorded month-to-month declines and lower unemployment rates than in July 2025.
The largest year-over-year decline was in Clay County, where the rate fell 1.3 percentage points, from 5.5% to 4.2%.
Upper Cumberland Labor Force
| County | Labor Force | Employed | Unemployed | July Rate | June Rate | July 2025 |
| Cannon | 7,057 | 6,841 | 216 | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| Clay | 3,015 | 2,887 | 128 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 5.5% |
| Cumberland | 23,570 | 22,584 | 986 | 4.2% | 4.5% | 4.7% |
| DeKalb | 7,864 | 7,526 | 338 | 4.3% | 4.4% | 4.7% |
| Fentress | 8,133 | 7,843 | 290 | 3.6% | 3.9% | 4.2% |
| Jackson | 4,856 | 4,660 | 196 | 4.0% | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| Macon | 13,706 | 13,296 | 410 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.5% |
| Overton | 10,641 | 10,264 | 377 | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Pickett | 1,656 | 1,573 | 83 | 5.0% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| Putnam | 38,112 | 36,707 | 1,405 | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4.3% |
| Smith | 10,302 | 9,974 | 328 | 3.2% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Van Buren | 2,784 | 2,683 | 101 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 3.9% |
| Warren | 17,544 | 16,825 | 719 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 4.6% |
| White | 10,946 | 10,490 | 456 | 4.2% | 4.6% | 4.8% |
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