Nine Upper Cumberland Counties Report Unemployment Rates Below 4%
(UCBJ) – Unemployment rates remained below 6% across all 14 Upper Cumberland counties in August, with several counties reporting lower rates than July while most remained unchanged or posted only slight increases, according to August 2026 labor force estimates from the State of Tennessee.
Unemployment rates across the region ranged from 3% in Macon County to 5.2% in Pickett County. Macon County recorded the region’s lowest rate at 3%, unchanged from July and August 2025.
Cannon County reported a 3.1% unemployment rate, unchanged from July but up from 2.9% a year ago. Smith County remained at 3.2%, unchanged from both July and August 2025. Van Buren County fell to 3.4%, down from 3.6% in July but up slightly from 3.3% a year earlier.
Fentress County reported a 3.5% rate, down from 3.6% in July. Jackson County’s rate was 4%, unchanged from July, while Overton County remained at 3.6%.
Putnam County reported a 3.7% rate, unchanged from July and up from 3.6% a year ago. DeKalb County’s rate fell to 4.1% from 4.3% in July and was unchanged from August 2025.
White County reported a 4.1% rate, down from 4.2% in July, while Cumberland County’s rate fell to 4.1%, down from 4.2% in both July and August 2025. Warren County reported a 3.9% rate.
Clay County’s unemployment rate declined to 3.8% from 4.2% in July. Pickett County had the highest rate among the region’s 14 counties at 5.2%, up from 5.1% in July and 4.4% in August 2025.
Nine of the 14 Upper Cumberland counties reported unemployment rates below 4% in August.
August 2026 Upper Cumberland Unemployment Rates
| County | Labor Force | Employed | Unemployed | Aug. 2026 | July 2026 | Aug. 2025 |
| Cannon | 7,009 | 6,792 | 217 | 3.1% | 3.1% | 2.9% |
| Clay | 3,122 | 3,004 | 118 | 3.8% | 4.2% | 4.2% |
| Cumberland | 23,978 | 22,985 | 993 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 4.2% |
| DeKalb | 7,927 | 7,599 | 328 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.1% |
| Fentress | 8,318 | 8,028 | 290 | 3.5% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Jackson | 4,932 | 4,735 | 197 | 4.0% | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| Macon | 13,683 | 13,278 | 405 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Overton | 10,771 | 10,385 | 386 | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.3% |
| Pickett | 1,647 | 1,562 | 85 | 5.2% | 5.1% | 4.4% |
| Putnam | 38,329 | 36,909 | 1,420 | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Smith | 10,270 | 9,943 | 327 | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.2% |
| Van Buren | 2,851 | 2,755 | 96 | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.3% |
| Warren | 17,773 | 17,073 | 700 | 3.9% | 4.1% | 4.0% |
| White | 11,099 | 10,648 | 451 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 4.2% |
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