Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Knoxville rose 0.1 percentage points in September 2023 to 3.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than the Tennessee rate. The unemployment rate in Knoxville peaked in April 2020 at 13.7% and is now 10.6 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.9% in December 2021, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Knoxville unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.8% | 0.0 | +0.3 |
| Tennessee | 3.2% | +0.1 | -0.2 |
| Knoxville | 3.1% | +0.1 | -0.1 |
Unemployment Rate: Knoxville, Tennessee, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Knoxville peaked in April 2020 at 56,486. There are now 42,818 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 12,952 in December 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 716.
| Unemployed Persons | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | 13,668 | +415 | -186 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Knoxville, Tennessee Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Tennessee Unemployment Rate |
Knoxville Unemployment Rate |
Knoxville Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 3.3% | — | — |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 13,668 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 3.1% | 3.0% | 13,253 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 3.1% | 3.0% | 13,232 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 3.2% | 3.0% | 13,099 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 13,182 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 13,041 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 13,418 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 13,710 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 13,640 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 13,738 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 13,753 |
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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