Department of Numbers

Memphis, Tennessee Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Memphis fell 3.0 percentage points in November 2020 to 6.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.6 percentage points higher than the Tennessee rate. The unemployment rate in Memphis peaked in April 2020 at 13.4% and is now 6.5 percentage points lower. You can also compare Memphis unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.7% -0.2 +3.1
Tennessee 5.3% -2.0 +2.0
Memphis 6.9% -3.0 +2.8
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with November 2020 data as December metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Memphis, Tennessee, National

Memphis, Tennessee monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Memphis, Tennessee Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Memphis peaked in April 2020 at 80,788. There are now 34,689 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Memphis employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Memphis, Tennessee) is also available.

Unemployed Persons November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
Memphis 46,099 -18,890 +19,793

Number of Unemployed Persons

Memphis, Tennessee Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Tennessee
Unemployment Rate		 Memphis
Unemployment Rate		 Memphis
Unemployed
December
2020		 6.7% — — —
November
2020		 6.7% 5.3% 6.9% 46,099
October
2020		 6.9% 7.3% 9.9% 64,989
September
2020		 7.8% 6.5% 9.3% 61,093
August
2020		 8.4% 8.6% 11.9% 79,396
July
2020		 10.2% 9.7% 12.8% 79,665
June
2020		 11.1% 9.6% 11.3% 69,142
May
2020		 13.3% 11.0% 11.0% 69,051
April
2020		 14.8% 15.5% 13.4% 80,788
March
2020		 4.4% 3.3% 4.0% 26,170
February
2020		 3.5% 3.4% 4.1% 26,512
January
2020		 3.5% 3.3% 4.1% 26,329

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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