DeKalb County’s preliminary unemployment rate for August was unchanged from July at 10.7%, but 3.9% higher than the 6.8% rate recorded in August 2008.
The local labor force for August was 9,970. A total of 8,900 were employed and 1,070 were unemployed.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2009 was 10.8 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than the July rate of 10.7 percent. The United States’ unemployment rate for the month of August was 9.7 percent.
County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for August 2009, show that the rate increased in 47 counties, decreased in 42 counties and remained the same in six counties.
Lincoln County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 7.2 percent, up from 6.9 percent in July. Lauderdale County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 19.7 percent, up from 19.5 in July, followed by Scott County at 19.2 percent, down from 19.5 percent in July.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 8.7 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from the July rate. Hamilton County was at 9.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from the July rate. Davidson County was 9.6 percent, up 0.4 from the previous month, and Shelby County was 10.6 percent, up 0.3 from the July rate.