Department of Numbers

Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Knoxville fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 3.0%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.5 percentage points lower than the Tennessee rate. The unemployment rate in Knoxville peaked in April 2020 at 13.9% and is now 10.9 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.7% in March 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare Knoxville unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.4% -0.1 -0.6
Tennessee 3.5% 0.0 0.0
Knoxville 3.0% -0.1 +0.1
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with January 2023 data as February metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Knoxville, Tennessee, National

Knoxville, Tennessee monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Knoxville peaked in April 2020 at 57,340. There are now 43,957 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 11,888 in March 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 1,495.

Unemployed Persons January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Knoxville 13,383 -75 +838

Number of Unemployed Persons

Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Tennessee
Unemployment Rate		 Knoxville
Unemployment Rate		 Knoxville
Unemployed
February
2023		 3.6% — — —
January
2023		 3.4% 3.5% 3.0% 13,383
December
2022		 3.5% 3.5% 3.1% 13,458
November
2022		 3.6% 3.5% 3.1% 13,734
October
2022		 3.7% 3.5% 3.1% 13,623
September
2022		 3.5% 3.4% 3.0% 13,422
August
2022		 3.7% 3.3% 3.0% 13,514
July
2022		 3.5% 3.3% 3.0% 13,406
June
2022		 3.6% 3.2% 2.9% 13,081
May
2022		 3.6% 3.2% 2.8% 12,620
April
2022		 3.6% 3.3% 2.7% 12,120
March
2022		 3.6% 3.3% 2.7% 11,888

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩

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