In a year that saw three consecutive months of record-low unemployment, Tennessee ended 2024 with an unemployment rate well below the U.S. rate, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.6% in December, up one-tenth of a percentage point over the previous month. The rate was 3.4% in December 2023.
Despite the uptick, Tennessee’s unemployment rate is five-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate of 4.1%. Tennessee recorded a record-low rate of 3% in May, June, and July.
Between November and December, Tennessee employers added 500 nonfarm jobs. The health care and social assistance sector accounted for the biggest gains, followed by local government and the real estate, rental, and leasing sector.
Over the past year, total nonfarm employment across the state increased by 45,400 jobs.